For the Love of Grace
by xeat.ur.soulx
Summary: They said imprinting was perfect. Like fitting two puzzle pieces together. It was easy; effortless. One look was all it took to fall in love — Boy, were they wrong. : Paul's Daughter & Sam's Son : Sequel to Changing Fate!
1. Prologue

**First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to write the sequel. It seemed like every time I sat down to begin working, I couldn't find the inspiration I needed to write a good enough chapter. I still can't get back into my writing groove, but I've decided that I've put this off long enough and you wonderful readers deserve to know what happens to Grace.**

**Secondly, I want to thank each and every reviewer I had for my previous story, 'Changing Fate.' I know I changed the name from 'Survive or Surrender', but to be honest, I just didn't think that name worked for the story.**

**And thirdly, I want to say that I will do my best to write this story using choice #5, but I may throw in a few twists and turns here and there.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I kind of wrote it after reading my reviews from TeamTwilight-forever-young3 and  
TeamAnyone3Twilight. From what I gathered, you two are sisters...? And, you gave me some inspiration for writing the first two chapters. Even though it's just after midnight on Christmas Eve Eve (Yes, I _did_ put 'Eve' there twice on purpose) Thank you, guys! I really appreciate it!**

**So, here's the prologue. I know it may come off as confusing (And by the way, this is _not_ Grace's POV, like my sister first thought), but once you get into the next few chapters and the story starts rolling, everything will fall into place . . . I hope.**

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_Those who plot the destruction of others often fall themselves. _  
_- Phaedrus_

_Twenty-Two Years Earlier_

I watched from a distance as the smoke rose above the tree line. It curled around, creating a tornado-like cloud in the sky. Even from my place, a hundred miles away, I could easily smell the sweet, familiar scent of burning vampire.

If I could cry, the tears would be falling like rain from my cheeks. I had never expected the end to come so soon for her. She seemed invincible - we _all_ seemed invincible.

Why did she have to keep grudges for so long? If anything, it was her fault that she was in this mess - a pile of ashes, dead. I wanted to slap her, curse her for her stupid plans and ideas; but, at the same time, I wanted to hug her and have everything okay again. She was the reason I was like this: a half-dead creature that would forever walk the Earth, sucking the blood of innocent humans. I couldn't blame her, though. She didn't know what she was getting us into, in the beginning.

She had told me once of the werewolves of La Push; though, I never believed her. I honestly couldn't wrap my head around that fact. I mean, sure - there were vampires. I _was_ one, for crying out loud. But _werewolves_? No, there couldn't be.

And, even if there really were such things as these so-called _werewolves_, they were no match for us, were they? We were strong, fast, and bulletproof. Those mangy mutts, by legends and myths, would die with a single silver bullet. That is, if they existed.

But, as the cloud of purplish-black smoke circled higher into the sky, making its way towards the heavens, I realized that maybe - just maybe - she was right.

And, if she was right and these wolves were the reason she was dead, then I wouldn't rest until every last one of them was ripped apart and burned like her.

That was my final promise, and it was one I would keep.

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**So, what did you think? Please review with your thoughts/ideas/etc. :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Now, I know I only posted the Prologue last night, but I thought you guys deserved an actual look into Grace's POV. I hope this chapter isn't as confusing as the last one...**

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_So much for my happy ending.  
- Avril Lavigne_

The day I turned sixteen was the day my life was forever changed.

Sam and Emily Uley, the former "pack parents" and good friends of my own parents, had insisted to have a big birthday party at their home for me. The entire pack - young, old, current, and former - were invited, of course, along with their spouses, children, and other family members. I was excited, to say the least.

Momma and Daddy were squirming in their seats as we drove over. They were obviously counting down the seconds until we arrived, trying their best to hold their anxiousness in and failing miserably. I watched carefully from the back seat, hoping to spot a sign that might give me a hint as to why they were acting this way.

My younger brothers, David and J.J., were arguing over something or another. Seeing as I was in the middle seat, I had to deal with them yelling in my ears as they battled to the finish.

So far, my birthday wasn't exactly what I had pictured it.

When we finally arrived at the Uleys', I all but climbed over top of J.J. in my haste to get out of that car. I had a massive headache from them fussing, and to top it all off, I was still curious as to what my parents were hiding.

We walked together along the short stone pathway up to the front door, and without so much as a knock, Daddy pushed my forward into the tiny cottage.

People appeared from all over the place, jumping up from behind chairs and the TV, each yelling, "Surprise!" at the same time. I was startled, but flattered. They thought enough of me to want to throw a surprise party, even though I was fully aware of the whole shebang.

"Happy birthday, Grace!" called Emily from where she stood in the doorway of the kitchen. A few others joined her in chorus.

"Thank you, Emily, Sam," I spoke to each of them, meeting their eyes as I said their names.

Emily blinked back what looked like tears as she motioned to the couch, where Quil, his wife, Claire, and their new addition, Addison, were currently huddled together. "Have a seat, honey, while I grab the cake." She hurried back into the kitchen as I crossed the room and plopped down next to Claire, careful not to jostle the couch to much so I would disturb sleeping Addie.

"Happy birthday, GiGi," Claire greeted cheerfully, not caring if she woke the sleeping bundle in her arms. I guess Addie had better get used to it anyways - Quil was louder than Claire and I put together.

I one-armed hugged Claire, squeezing her shoulders lightly, as I replied, "Thanks, CiCi."

I grew up with Claire as my babysitter. We were good friends, even if she was almost nine years older than me. One of the many memories I had of her was the day we made up nicknames for each other - ones we still use to this day, even though it has been nearly ten years since she babysat me last.

Emily reappeared with a huge - and I mean _humongous_ - three tier, white-icing cake with light blue icing designs around the edges of each tier. _Happy Birthday Grace_ was elegantly written across the center of the top tier in the same blue icing, while sixteen blue and white candles encircled it. Obviously, blue was my favorite color.

The crowd began to sing happy birthday terribly off-key - my father being the loudest and farthest from the correct key. I could feel a blush begin to form on my cheeks, and I tried to duck my head so the multiple people with cameras out - including my mother - wouldn't be able to snap a good enough picture to keep. A blushing picture was embarrassing.

The awful song ended, and someone - I think Brady's girlfriend, Cara . . . ? - shouted, "Make a wish!"

And from there, everything seemed to fly by in slow motion.

I smiled widely and leaned forward to blow out the candles. I puckered my lips, inhaled, and just before I let go, a flicker of movement caught my eye. I don't know why it would - everyone in this room seemed to be moving in some way. But, it did, and I made the biggest mistake of my life by looking up and meeting the cold gray eyes of the tall, new wolf-boy.

Suddenly, the entire atmosphere of the room changed. Jacob - who was the alpha since he wanted to stay young forever with Nessie, and Sam, of course, wanted to age with Emily - jumped from his seat, nearly throwing his wife on the floor, in his haste to grab _him_. _He_ was shaking, and I knew from growing up around a bunch of werewolves that _he_ was about to phase. He seemed . . . angry, which didn't make much sense. Wasn't he supposed to be happy? I mean, he just found his soul mate.

Then, the crushing realization hit me. He didn't want me. I could believe that. Who _would_ want me? I was nothing special - skinny, curly black hair, boring features, clumsy, too quiet for my own good.

I slowly released the air from my lungs, and as I did, my candles each died with a last, withering flicker. Well, all but one.

The last one stayed alive and well, burning with a great force. Like my faith in finding my soul mate one day.

But, as Jacob dragged _him_ by us and out the front door, my last burning birthday candle was snuffed out by their passing, along with my hopes and dreams of imprinting.

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**Review...? (:**


	3. Chapter 2

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**So, I've been thinking about how I want this story to go, and I decided that I like Cole better as an asshole (excuse the language) than as I had described him in Changing Fate. I apologize if anyone would have rather seen a cocky, arrogant Cole. But, seeing as I am the one who has to portray him, I want him to be an angry, mean werewolf who is completely pissed off because he is stuck with a girl he never really wanted before.**

**Also, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. Fifteen reviews! Every review makes my day, and gives me the inspiration to write some more(: So, the more reviews I get, the faster I can write each chapter. *Hint. Hint***

**Oh, and I recently made a Twitter account for my FF readers. If you wish to keep updated with chapter statuses or upcoming books, or you just wanna chat, then please feel free to look me up. My username is believerinmyths. I'm open for questions, ideas, or if you just need someone to spill your heart out to ;)**

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**And now, the chapter you all have been waiting patiently for...**

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_They say bad things happen for a reason.  
But no wise words are gonna stop the bleedin'.  
- The Script_

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My party lasted until nearly ten o'clock, and since it was a Sunday and I had school the next morning, my parents insisted we head home so I could get some rest. I was glad to be leaving - not that I hadn't had a good time - but I needed some peace and quiet so I could sort my thoughts.

Ever since the birthday candle incident, I hadn't seen Coleman Uley, my "soul mate." After Jacob had rushed him outside, he had run off and never returned. In a way, I was relieved to not have him there, but on the other hand, it felt kind of wrong for him to be missing. As if a part of _me_ was missing with him.

I know; it sounds strange to my ears, too.

I fell asleep that night with the image of Cole's eyes haunting me. The cold, gray eyes that were filled with anger at the sight of me. His fury when he imprinted on me, Grace Reid. The sharp tremors that shook his body as he glared at me. I had ruined his future. It was my fault, because I had looked up into his eyes. Everything that had happened between the two of us was my fault.

I woke up the next morning with tear stains on my cheeks.

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I arrived at school in my brand new car that my parents had been so ecstatic and secretive about. Well, technically is was an old, used car that my father and a few of his buddies at the car repair shop - where he worked - fixed up. It was a light blue, 2006 Mustang that ran like new. I absolutely loved it.

My best friend, Zach Michaels, was waiting for me when I parked my car. He was there when my parents unveiled the car in Sam and Emily's driveway, so he knew that he wouldn't have to pick me up in the morning, like he usually did on school days.

I flipped down the visor and examined my ice blue eyes in the mirror. I had woken up with bags underneath them, due to my lack of sleep. Luckily, with a bit of makeup, I had successfully covered them, but I just wanted to make sure they were _still_ covered.

Knocking on my window made me jump, and in the process, caused me to poke myself in the eye. I grimaced and held a head over my burning eye, while glaring at my best friend through the other one.

"What was that for?" I demanded, even though he probably couldn't hear me outside the window. He could've waited just two more minutes without trying to break my window, couldn't he?

My door suddenly yanked my door open. "Sorry about that," Zach said, flashing me a heart-stopping smile, even though it had no affect on me whatsoever. Zach and I were just best friends, nothing more. Besides, I had a "soul mate."

I sighed and reached over to the passenger seat, where my white purse sat. "Just a second," I replied as I fished around for my eyeliner.

"But, we're gonna be late," Zach whined.

I ignored him and touched up my eyeliner before stuffing the black stick back into my bag and climbing out of the car, pushing Zach out of the way. I slammed the door shut, hoisted my purse up onto my shoulder, and clicked the little _lock_ button on my keypad, smiling widely when a loud _Beep! Beep!_ sounded throughout the parking lot. I felt special now that I had my own car, and could scare people with the loud horns and beeps.

"You are so weird," Zach muttered from beside me as we began to walk towards the building.

I laughed and grinned up at him. "And you love it."

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Morning classes passed rather slowly; then again, they were my hardest classes, so they were supposed to be filled with boring lectures and endless worksheets.

After taking what seemed like twenty pages of notes in Mrs. Ferguson's class, I silently thanked the heavens when the bell finally rang, signaling it was time for lunch. I was sure my hand was going to fall off if I had to write anything more about the founding of America.

I yanked my purse up off of the ground and all but ran out of the classroom. I hadn't seen my other best friend, Tamiko Yamada - or Tami, as we called her - since the Friday before, and I was eager to see what she had gotten me for my birthday.

After a quick stop at my locker, I headed straight towards the cafeteria. Since my locker was at the other end of the building, it was a rather long walk.

Most people were already in the cafeteria, so the halls were nearly empty as I made my way through. The sound of my converses squeaking against the linoleum was the only sound, making everything seem a bit more eerie.

I turned the corner to walk down the final hallway that held the doors to the cafeteria at the other end, and, without meaning to, I collided with something . . . a wall, I think.

But, I didn't remember a wall protruding this far out into the hallway . . . or being dark blue, for that matter.

Two abnormally warm arms encircled my waist, righting me as I tried to gain my balance after such a hard hit. Obviously, this was not a wall. I had run into a person. I muscular guy, it appeared.

Great. This would _definitely_ help my social status.

I stepped back quickly, leaving the warmth and safety of those strong arms, and focused on straightening my shirt as I stuttered, "I-I'm sorry. Uh, I-I didn't see you there." I could feel a blush creep up into my cheeks, and I cursed my mother for being a pale-face and making my skin not as dark as the other Quileutes, therefore making a blush easier to see.

"You should watch where you're going," a harsh, but familiar, voice hissed.

I jerked my head up, and felt like melting down into the cracks of the floor and disappearing when I realized who this was.

Coleman Uley, in the flesh.

He glared at me, but I could easily see the torment and confusion in his eyes. He was trying so hard to push me away, but the imprinting powers were refusing to let him hate me.

"I'm sorry," I repeated, this time in a much softer voice. I was terrified of the way he was shaking, about to rip out of his human body at any moment.

"You should be," he spit as he pushed me out of his way and walked down the hall, disappearing around the far corner.

I stood there in shock, confusion, and hurt as I stared at the corner where I had last seen his retreating back. How could he treat me this way? I knew he had to love me - which, to be honest, wasn't exactly flattering, what with him being forced. So, how could he act like that towards me and not feel bad about it?

I blinked back the tears that were beginning to form in my eyes and turned around, allowing my feet to carry me to the cafeteria.

I headed straight to the table where my two best friends were seated, ignoring the fact that my stomach was rumbling or that the line was empty.

Tami looked up from her cell phone and Zach, unwillingly, stopped eating his hamburger as they stared at me in worry.

"Grace, what happened?" Tami questioned softly, confusion clear in her bright green eyes.

I shook my head and plopped down into a hard, cold, metal chair. "Nothing," I lied, even though the single word seemed to cut through my heart like a knife.

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**So...what'd you think? Any ideas for future chapters? Like Cole? Hate Cole? Gimme some input, please ;)**

**Oh, and here's a shoutout to two of my faithful reviewers, Alex and Ariana (I hope I got your names right, lol) As they put it, Keep Smiling!(:**


	4. Chapter 3

**I FINALLY got around to finishing this chapter. It's the longest I've written, and I hope it'll keep ya'll happy until I get to the next chapter =] (That smiley is for Alex! Lol.) This doesn't have a bunch of stuff happening; it's just Evie and Grace talking and whatever. It's mainly a filler chapter, and it kind of brings up some of the stuff from Changing Fate. **

**Anyways, I hope you guys had a good Christmas and New Year's! Also, I hope ya'll like this chapter, and reviews will really make my day XD**

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_I have to block out thoughts of you so I don't lose my head.  
They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed.  
Dropping little reels of tape to remind me that I'm alone.  
- Blue October_

I didn't see Cole for the rest of the day.

Then again, I honestly didn't want to see him - even though it meant hurting my heart just a tiny bit more.

I had heard so many different stories about imprinting throughout my lifetime, I could hardly remember half of them. I grew up around imprinted couples. My own freaking parents were soul mates, for crying out loud!

And not once did any of them mention the hatred mixed in with the love.

The way Cole took the imprint simply confused me. Didn't he feel bad at _all_ after saying those hurtful words to me? If he did, he sure didn't show it.

Thoughts of Cole, imprinting, my parents' relationship, and all of that jazz filled my poor brain as I drove home from school. I tried to sort through the mixed emotions I had towards the boy. How could, in a matter of less than twenty-four hours, I feel such strong feelings for a guy who obviously doesn't return them?

I was an idiot, plain and simple.

As if my car had a mind of its own, it drove me straight to First Beach. Of course, I knew that this was where I had wanted to go, deep down. First Beach was where I went whenever I needed to think, or just let myself cry without having an audience, like I would at home.

I shut the engine off and slowly climbed out, slamming the door shut behind me. But, this time, when I clicked the _lock_ button and heard the familiar _Beep! Beep!_, I couldn't find the will to smile like I had that morning.

The sky was overcast and gray, with no sign of the sun anywhere but plenty of signs of rain threatening to fall. I pulled the hood of my jacket up over my head, just in case the clouds decided to punish me by releasing their load at any moment, and followed the pathway towards the beach.

Once I reached the sand, I slipped off my converses and stuffed my socks inside them as I began the semi-long trek to my favorite spot: Brenna's Rock. It was a half-moon shaped row of large boulders, separating the water from the beach about half a mile down from the parking lot. Most people preferred to stay near the parking lot when hanging at the beach, so Brenna's Rock was a quiet place for me to just . . . chill.

The ice cold water numbed my toes as I slowly walked, barefooted, down the beach. The familiar tingly sensation filled my frozen feet, and if I actually cared for a second, I would have moved away from the crashing waves and continued walking on higher ground.

But, my mind was too occupied to fret over something as silly as numb toes.

All I could think about was whether or not there was something wrong with me. I mean, the imprint was supposed to make him _want_ to be with me, but obviously it wasn't working. Was it because I wasn't popular? Maybe because I wasn't tall or as curvy as the other girls my age. I didn't dress in clothes, nor did I flirt with guys and make myself known.

Was that why Cole didn't like me?

I made it to the outcropping that surrounded the one humongous boulder, better known as Brenna's Rock. It didn't take long for me to leap agilely onto the first rock and climb my way to the top, nearly twenty feet from the ground. I planted my butt firmly within the indentation on top of the rock, leaned my back against a jut-out, and let my legs dangle.

The calmness in the atmosphere and the soothing sound of the waves lapping up against the rocks and shore down below lulled to into a light, dreamless sleep. I don't know how long I was out, but it only seemed like a few mere seconds before I was being shaken awake.

"Grace? Grace, honey, wake up," a familiar voice called in my ear.

My eyes opened to find that the light gray, cloud-covered sky I had fallen asleep to was now darker, and a blazing ball of fire was peeping up over the ocean's edge. Momma was sitting next to me, her light brown hair down and blowing lightly around her face. She looked every bit of twenty-five, when in reality, she was in her forties.

"Wha-?" I croaked through a sleep-ridden voice. I quickly cleared it and continued. "What time is it?"

Momma smiled lightly, but it didn't quite reach her blue eyes - the one thing I gained from her while the rest of my features were basically my father's or grandmothers'. She was obviously worried about me, and I wished that there was a way that I could make that look leave her eyes for good. It didn't belong there; not now, not ever.

"It's nearly seven. When you didn't pick up your brothers or show up for supper, I decided to come looking for you," she explained.

Crap. I totally forgot about my brothers. David was a freshman at my school, while I myself was a sophomore and J.J. was a seventh grader. They rode the bus this morning, like always, but I was supposed to drive them home. Momma and Daddy had made a deal with me; I kept the car to drive whenever I wanted, but I had to take my brothers to and from school until David could drive next year.

I could only imagine how embarrassed David was. He had told all of his friends that he wouldn't be riding the bus anymore, and I had let him down.

I nodded and pulled my legs up until they were bent at the knees, and wrapped my arms around them. "I'm sorry. I just . . . I needed to think." That was understatement. What I needed was to jump in the water and drown so Cole wouldn't be so miserable.

The sound of a lone eagle filled the open silence as it flew over the gray-blue water. I gasped and watched as it glided majestically over the air, the light from the setting sun reflecting off of it's brilliant white head, not moving it's wings for an immeasurable amount of time. This was truly a sight, what with the poor air creatures being rare. I thought for sure it would fall to it's death, but just as I was beginning to think maybe it had died midair, it's blackish-brown wings began flapping, and it disappeared beyond the edge of the cliffs.

"You know, you remind me of that bald-headed eagle," Momma murmured, breaking the silence.

I raised my brows and turned my head to face her. "Um . . . excuse me?" She was comparing me to a bird? A freaking bird?

Was I really that bad?

My mother's bright, bell-like laughter echoed off of the far cliffs and water, and I couldn't help but laugh softly along with her. It was just something about her laughter that was contagious.

"What I meant was that the both of you have this . . . this _independence _about you." She motioned to something unknown with her hands; it was her signature trademark, talking with her hands. "You both contain _freedom_," she whispered, staring out over the darkening waters.

I snorted. "Hence the representation of _freedom_."

Momma rolled her eyes and ignored my comment. She pulled her legs out from under her and hung over the edge like mine, letting the sway back and forth as she turned to look at me.

"Mom, why do I have these sudden feelings? I didn't care before, and now I feel like I can't breathe without seeing him." My chest felt a _lot_ lighter with that admission off of it.

"Love hurts. That's why there's so many songs, movies, poems, and whatever else out right now about it and the pain it brings. But, trust me: it always works itself out in the end." She flashed a bright smile at me, and my spirits lifted slightly.

"You know, imprinting wasn't exactly easy for your father and I, either," she admitted, turning away. "In fact, it wasn't easy for any of the couples." She paused and a short laugh escaped her lips. "Well, except for Jared and Kim, Zach's parents. They were the only ones who were perfect from day one. No problems whatsoever, once he imprinted and noticed her."

I raised my brows. What did this have to do with me? Was she trying to give me a "friendly" lecture about my imprinting troubles? Raise my spirits when it came to Cole? To be honest, I really didn't think it would work. Nothing could make me think this imprint would actually be like the others. Cole would forever be . . . well, Cole - arrogant, asshole Cole - while I would be shy, small Grace who was falling fast for the jerk against my will.

"And . . . ?" I prompted.

She shot me a small smile and continued on with wherever she was going with this. "What I meant was that just because things between you and Cole weren't perfect from the start doesn't mean you'll never be together." Can she suddenly read minds now? "When Paul imprinted on me, I didn't like him at all. I was the freak with the hood and threatening stance who befriended the quiet geek. He wasn't supposed to like me. Hell, the first day he imprinted on me, he tried to talk to me and I blew him off. But, Kim and Jared pushed us together, and the imprint worked on me, too. Before I knew it I fell for him, and now, twenty-two odd years later, here we are." A wide grin spread across her face at the mentions of her soul mate, and I couldn't help but wish that one day - preferably in the near future - I would have that same look on my face while thinking of Cole. That is, if he ever had some sense knocked into him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is: don't give up. Keep fighting for your man, honey. If you give up on him, you'll be giving up on your soul mate." She patted my shoulder. "You don't want to do that."

I sighed and nodded my head, my long, wavy black hair falling forward into my face as I did so. The last time I had cut it was when I was seven, and I cut it off by myself. Momma and Daddy came home to find me sitting in the bathroom, locks of black curls covering the floor and tears streaming down my cheeks as I realized what I had done. Once Momma comforted me and straightened the edges herself with the scissors, and Daddy cleaned up the mess, I was fine. I even liked the look a little.

Momma dropped her hand from my shoulder and set her gaze on the horizon, where the sun had all but disappeared. I could tell immediately that she was reminiscing in her mind, what with that far-off look on her face and the strange twitching of her upper lip.

I was about to ask what she was thinking about when she suddenly began talking. "Grace, did I ever tell you about my sister?" she asked, almost too quietly for my ears.

I shook my head. "No . . . " I trailed off, unsure of where she was going with this. What, was her sister an imprint who had it rough, too?

"You were named after her, you know. Saydren, or Sadie, as we called her. She was older than me, and very pretty. My parents adored her." Momma paused and took a deep breath, as if mentally preparing herself to relive a horrific moment in her past.

"What happened to her?" I whispered when she didn't continue with the story. I was a curious person, and Momma had always said I reminded her of someone she missed terribly. Sadie, maybe . . . ?

Momma's eyes were shining with unshed tears, but she was attempting to blink them back. "She died, a long time ago. We were both young, and we had wild imaginations. If only we hadn't gone into that damn forest . . ."

Yep. Curiosity killed the cat. I needed to watch my back or I'd end up like her, too.

"Anyways, it's a long story, and I really don't want to get into the details. Basically, we ran into a vampire in the woods, and it made a deal with Sadie. Take her, and leave me. I never saw her again." More tears. "It was years later when the vampire returned, around the time Paul imprinted on me. She killed my wolf-dog, Ash, and nearly got me, but Paul and the pack destroyed her." A small smile spread across her face at the memories. "I tried to save him, but he ended up saving me."

I smiled along with her. "And now, three annoying kids later, you two are still as happy as you were twenty years ago . . . right?"

Momma smiled wider. "Yes, we're even happier now. And one day, it'll be you and Cole, looking back on your memories together." She took my hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. "I can see it now - you'll be sitting her on Brenna's Rock, recollecting the good and bad times with your daughter, who might be having imprint troubles."

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, like _that_ would happen. "I don't know about that," I countered.

Momma shook her head and sighed. "You'll see. I'm always right - your father says so."

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**You know, reviews _really_ make my day. And, since it's January, I think any reviews I get for this chapter will make my year. So, if you want to make a hard-working writer happy, then please please please leave a review or two!**

**Oh, and my goal for this story is to have more reviews than Changing Fate. It has 224 right now, so let's start clicking that little button below ;)**


	5. Chapter 4

**Wow, another long chapter! You guys should really love me, because I spent the time I was supposed to be studying for my semester exams on writing this chapter. =] **

**And, I know it'll probably be really boring and suck because I'm not a good writer, but I _do _have to admit that I absolutely LOVE the ending for this! I hope you do, too. =D**

**Anyways, PLEASE keep in mind that the more reviews I recieve, the faster the chapters are uploaded ;) Just a tip.**

**Enjoy!**

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_But I guess that I can live without you.  
But without you I'll be miserable at best.  
- Mayday Parade_

Saturday morning, I awoke to the bright sunlight shining through my window. It was unusual, what with La Push staying cloudy ninety-eight percent of the time, but I wasn't complaining. Even though it cut through my deep sleep at seven in the morning on the weekend, I was utterly content. Just having the warmth of the sun here made me happy, and I needed this happiness after a week long of pain.

Cole had avoided me since that day in the hall. Sure, I saw him at school, but he made it a point to stay away from me. He didn't come into the cafeteria anymore, nor did he walk the halls freely. We had no classes together, and really the only time I saw him was in the parking lot before and after school. Oh, and the one time on Friday when he was at his locker and I walked by with Zach - who had spent a day out of school when he phased unexpectedly on Wednesday, but returned on Friday because he had an outrageous amount of control - on our way to third period. We made eye contact, and I nearly dragged Zach down the hallway in my haste to get away from Cole. The hate in his heart for me was unbearable for me to think about, much less see in his eyes.

They said the eyes were the window to your soul; they were right.

And Cole's soul was black with hate and fury, all directed at me.

I climbed out of bed and slowly stood up as I tried to keep from having a head rush. Losing my balance and falling was not exactly how I liked to start my day. I didn't need a bruise to have to explain to Dad. It was hard enough for him to control his anger so he wouldn't burst into a wolf at any given moment.

It had been years since my father, and most of the other wolves from the "old pack," had phased, yet my father still had spells when he would come very close. It was to the point where even some of the phased wolves could catch glimpses of his thoughts and he would be shaking to the point of being one complete blur, but my mother and the pack always kept him in the same form.

Two things were at the top of the "Things That Make Paul Reid Phase" list: something happening to my mother, or something happening to one of his children. The smallest scrape on a knee, or an unintentional checking-out of my mother by some other man made Dad start shivering.

It was painful enough for the young boys to phase. Who knew how painful it was for a forty-something-year-old man.

After checking my phone for the day's weather - sunny with a high of seventy-five degrees - I changed into jean shorts and a white tank top that made my skin look even darker. I left my wavy hair down and natural, because honestly, I didn't feel like taking the time to straighten it when I had this beautiful sunshine to enjoy, and slipped on my black and white converses. With one last glance in the wall-length mirror that hung behind my door, I decided that I looked decent enough to leave the house - even without makeup on, since I didn't really care about looking nice; just looking decent.

The house was dark and silent. What did I expect when it was seven in the morning? On a _Saturday_? Nobody would be conscious until noon under this roof. It was almost a law.

And I was the only one willing to break it, apparently.

I grabbed my keys from the kitchen counter and let myself out the back door before locking it behind me. My car was parked in the grass beside the house, right next to Daddy's truck, but I skipped right on by it and into the woods. I was in an adventurous mood, and the miles and miles of forest surrounding La Push and my house was the perfect place to let out my energy.

I glanced at my cell phone to find that it was seven-thirty. That meant thirty minutes until Zach's patrol was over. If I could find him while he was on patrol, before he could accept any other patrol offers like the nice person he was, then maybe we could hang out today. This past week had been hectic, and since Tami didn't know our secrets, Zach was my only best friend whom I could talk to about the feelings I had. But, with his phasing and a rogue vampire supposedly roaming our corner of Washington, he had been busy with pack stuff.

I felt so alone and empty, and the imprinting emotions weren't helping at _all_.

The silence of the forest calmed me. Every now and then, a Willow Goldfinch would call out to its mate, breaking into my wonderful reverie, but otherwise all was quiet and peaceful. I truly adored the woods.

Not twenty minutes into my walk, I came across a brown wolf with white paws - one of the pack, by his size. He was lying in a meadow, his eyes closed and his chest moving slowly with his deep breaths.

He was asleep.

Why was a wolf sleeping when there was a vampire on the loose?

I refrained from shouting as I stomped across the meadow, picking up a stick on my way. Upon reaching the snoozing wolf, I began poking him with the sharp stick in an attempt to wake him. I knew merely shoving him would do nothing - it did nothing on the human form.

The wolf jerked awake as I stabbed him repeatedly, and jumped to his feet as a loud, fierce growl erupted from between his lips. His teeth were bared, and his hazel eyes glared at me.

I knew those eyes.

"Drew, calm down," I said sternly, just like Jacob would. Only, I didn't have the Alpha power, but my glare was just as affective. Drew sat back on his haunches and gave me a droopy-eyed, apologetic look.

Andrew Call, the oldest Call child to Embry and Michelle, had phased a couple of weeks back. He was my age and a sophomore like Zach and myself, but he was always higher up on the popularity scale. He had been the quarterback for the football team until he phased. Since then, the school was against him for quitting the team, even if it _was_ April and football wouldn't start back until the fall. I felt bad for Drew. He was a nice kid, and now he had lost all of his friends because of some stupid gene.

All the wolf gene did for our generation was tear lives apart. At least, that's what it seemed.

Within seconds, Drew was standing in human form in front of me, completely naked. I shut my eyes as he pulled on the shorts that were tied around his ankle. I was used to boys phasing around me and the nakedness. I guess that's one of the quirks of being raised by wolves, no pun intended.

"Um, you can look now," he said awkwardly, breaking the silence.

I opened my eyes to find Drew closer, but not too close. Where he was about five feet before, he was now about a foot in front of me. His hazel eyes better-fitted his human, pale-russet face over his wolf face. I found it amazing that fewer wolves had the full Quileute blood in them. Most of the new wolves from my generation were half-Quileute, which gave them paler skin and different hair and eye colors. I, for example, had light blue eyes and paler skin while full-blooded Quileutes had the true russet skin and brown or black eyes. Somehow, over time, the imprinting mechanism had changed, allowing the wolves to imprint on the person that matched their character instead of just another person within the reservation.

Why did it have to screw up with Cole and me?

"I'm, uh, sorry for growling at you. You kind of startled me when you started, um, poking me," he said, scratching the back of his neck in a motion that showed his nervousness. That confused me; why was he nervous? Drew, the former quarterback for the football team, was nervous around me?

Or was it because he was hoping I'd leave him alone?

I shrugged it off and replied, "It's fine. I didn't mean to scare you."

Drew sighed. "You know, Cole is pretty pissed about you being out here in the woods alone."

Did that mean that Cole was _worried_ about me? Cole, the boy who acted like he could care less if I fell off the side of a mountain?

"Um, okay . . . ?" I said, but it sounded more like a question. I wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

Drew sent me a small grin. "Cole cares about you. I can see it in his thoughts. He just doesn't like to show weakness." He shrugged. "I guess it's an alpha thing." Which didn't really apply to Cole anymore since his father gave up the alpha position to Jacob.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, well, that doesn't give him the right to act like a jerk to me. He could at least be a _little_ bit friendly. I'm not asking for a dang relationship right at this _moment_! I just want to get _along_ with my imprint! Is that really so bad?" I let out my frustrations that I had bottled up since the day of the imprinting. Upon realizing that I had nearly screamed in the poor guy's face, I immediately felt humiliated. I never yelled in anger, and here I had practically verbally attacked Drew.

I could feel my face heating up in embarrassment.

"Um, eh, I'm, uh, sorry. I-I don't know w-what came ov-over me," I stammered, my gaze dropping to my converse-clad feet.

Wow, and here I was talking about how _Cole_ was the jerk, while I just practically chewed off the head of a boy I didn't really know all too well. I was a true hypocrite.

The sound of laughter brought me out of my thoughts. My head shot up to find Drew grinning down at me, his eyes twinkling with laughter. "Grace, I think that's the first time you've ever raised your voice, and I have to admit, when the pack here's about this, they're gonna be proud," he admitted.

Oh Lord, now half of La Push would know by the end of the day. Grace Reid was a jerk who yelled at random people. Lovely.

My gaze fell back to the ground, away from those laughing eyes.

Drew took hold of my shoulders and forced me to look at him. "Now, I know I'm not one to give advice, but I've been inside Cole's head. Most of the other wolves are afraid of him, since he's stronger than basically everyone except for Jake and Will." I briefly thought of Will Black. The poor boy was born one-third vampire, one-third werewolf, and one-third human. He was stronger, faster, and lighter-skinned than any of the others, and was pretty much an outcast because of his difference. "But, I for one am not afraid to tell you that you're the only thing he can think about when he's on patrol. Everything reminds him of you. He sees a butterfly, he thinks about how delicate and fragile you are. He sees the beach, he thinks about how he sees you there a lot. If Zach is phased, all Cole can think about is how jealous he is that you and Zach are such good friends and he's afraid to get close to you in fear he'll hurt you in some way." Drew grinned at me again.

I blinked. Was all of this true? Cole really liked me? But, he was so mean that day, and he had been avoiding me ever since. Why did everything have to be so darn confusing?

I stepped out of the semi-embrace Drew had me in and began to pace. I never paced, so this was extremely out of character for me, but I honestly couldn't think of anything else to do. In truth, I could only focus on one thing: Cole. Nothing else mattered.

"How does that explain his reaction to imprinting?" I questioned, not exactly to Drew, but in general.

Drew took it as a question to himself, because he answered for me as I sat down underneath a tree to watch me pace. "I guess he's just as confused as you are. His emotions towards you are so jumbled. He loves you, because of the imprinting, but he hates you because you basically ruined his life by forcing him to be with you."

I froze and spun around to face Drew from fifteen feet away. "This is _not_ my fault by any means! If anything, _I _should be hating _him_ for making my life a living he-" I cut myself off before I could curse. I didn't curse, and I wasn't about to start now just because my emotions were out of wack.

"Um, for changing everything," I corrected.

Drew snorted. "I see you haven't changed much," he commented. Before I could reply to that, though, another wolf bounded through the bushes.

Zach, just the wolf I was looking for.

"Is Cole on patrol right now?" I asked Drew.

He nodded, confusion splattering his face, as he stood. "I'd better get back on patrol before Jake catches me out of form," he explained before disappearing into the trees.

I grinned and motioned for Zach to come to me. Zach obeyed and lay down at my feet so he was face to face with me.

"Zach, I missed you," I said with a fake pout as I leaned forward and kissed his nose. I knew that no matter what, Cole would see _and_ hear that, and I hoped my plan would work to my advantage.

Zach sent me a confused glance before backing away from me. He stepped behind a tree and phased back to human form before returning.

"This has something to do with Cole, doesn't it?" he said with a slight smile.

I nodded, my cheeks reddening again. I wasn't the type of girl who flirted openly with boys or anything of that kind. I was just the quiet, shy type who had never had a boyfriend. I had absolutely no experience with making guys jealous.

Zach stepped forward and wrapped his warm arms around me. He was shirtless, so his hard chest pressed against my own, burning straight through my tank top to my skin and lighting me on fire. I felt like I was sweltering in his embrace, but I honestly didn't care. I was in need of a hug after all of the new information that had been lodged into my brain within the past thirty minutes.

"You know, I think I might have an idea that will make Cole regret ever being just an asshole," Zach said as he stepped back, allowing the light breeze to cool me off.

I cocked a brow. "And what would that be?" I challenged.

He grinned widely and winked, which automatically told me that he had something big under his sleeve. Something that was both mischievous and evil, but smart.

"What do you say to being my girlfriend, Miss Reid?"

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	6. Chapter 5

**I want to thank everyone who reviewed on the previous chapter. I asked for ten reviews, and I recieved twelve! You guys are the best =]**

**So, I know this chapter is really short, but I thought you all would want to know what really happens. **

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_Maybe it's just me._  
_Couldn't you believe,  
__That everything I said and did wasn't just deceiving?  
__-Secondhand Serenade_

"_What do you say to being my girlfriend, Miss Reid?"_

I blinked, utterly shocked. Zachary Michaels, the boy I had grown up with, the boy who was my best friend, the boy who knew I had never dated, the boy I never saw in that way - he was asking me _out_?

No, not just _asking me out_, but asking me to be his _girlfriend_?

What sick, twisted world was I living in now? Not only did the boy who was _supposed_ to love me hate me, but now my best friend wanted to be with me?

Now I knew why people smoked weed. Days like this, where everything is so confusing and shocking and the emotions are literally clawing at my insides - these are the type of days that make people turn to drugs. They want to get out of their own minds for even just a short while.

I was considering buying myself a blunt from Cody Marks, the known drug dealer of the school, when Zach started talking.

"What I mean is, what do you think about _faking_ being my girlfriend? You know, just to piss Cole off and make him jealous?" he explained.

A small smile began to form on my lips as the idea sank in. A fake relationship. As crazy as it sounded, I had to admit: I liked it. It could work. We could _make_ it work. Simple hand holding, hugs, cheek kisses - nothing Zach and I didn't already do. We would just have to step it up a notch; make it realistic.

The small smile turned into a huge grin, teeth and all, as I beamed up at Zach.

"It's a brilliant idea."

* * *

Zach and I arrived at Jake and Nessie's, hand in hand, for breakfast. We planned on announcing the news of our relationship to the pack. Although it was against for a pack member to date an imprint, it was really up to the imprint whether or not she wanted to date another pack member. And I wanted to "date" Zach.

We walked through the back door just as Quil, Collin, and Will were walking out for their turn at patrol. I smiled at the three, ignoring the strange looks from them as they saw my hand entwined with Zach's.

The kitchen was bustling with activity, even this early on a Saturday morning. Nessie was flying around the kitchen at high speed, rushing to finish the food before she, herself, was fed to the hungry wolves.

Cole was leaning against the doorframe in the doorway that led to a hallway. Jake, Leah, and Seth were seated at the large, brown table, and I figured Drew must have gone home since he wasn't here. Upon our entering, their heads snapped up to meet us.

"Grace! What are you doing here so early?" Jake asked, nonetheless seemingly pleased that I was here. I didn't miss the sly glance he sent to Cole before his brown eyes returned to me.

I smiled and gripped Zach's hand tighter in mine, silently preparing myself for the oncoming bit of news.

"Well, I wanted to be here with Zach when we announced . . . um . . ." I looked to Zach, my confidence suddenly deteriorating.

Zach grinned widely and said, "Grace and I are together."

I honestly wasn't expecting their reaction.

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	7. Chapter 6

**I just want to say that I am SO PROUD of you guys! I recieved FORTY reviews for just TWO CHAPTERS! =D**

**Anyways, I decided to give you guys this chapter because I'll be leaving this weekend and won't have access to my computer until next Monday. And, with semesters switching over and stuff, I won't have much time for writing. It may be a while until I post the next chapter :(**

**Well, enjoy!**

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_I just wanna be where you are tonight  
I run in the dark looking for some light  
And how will we know if we don't just try  
We won't ever know  
- Yellowcard_

Cole launched himself at Zach from the doorway, a fierce, terrifying cross between a growl and roar erupting from between his human lips. Zach shoved me to the side into Seth's lap just before the impact that sent him flying through the back door.

Nessie began grumbling about how she had just finished remodeling her kitchen, and now she would have to redo the entire doorway.

I, honestly, could've cared less about the door.

Because the two boys I loved the most were now fighting in their wolf forms in the backyard, with Jake standing between them.

I tried to stand, to run outside and tell them all it was fake, that nobody needed to get hurt, but Seth's arms constricted around me, keeping me situated in his lap. I huffed and crossed my arms. I didn't want to sit here in Seth's lap - he was nearly as old as my father! - but I didn't have a choice.

"You kids are seriously suicidal," Leah muttered from across the table. I didn't bother looking at her - I knew no amount of glaring could have any affect on her.

Jake returned inside with Zach and Cole, all in human form and different shorts. Zach sent me a small smile, while Cole glared straight ahead. I felt a small pang of guilt for making him so angry, but on the other hand, I was slightly happy because it meant our plan was working.

Jake shoved the two forward and returned to his seat. "Sit," he order the two with a hard glare.

Zach sat next to Leah, while Cole took the seat next to Seth and I. Jake was at the head of the table, and Nessie had taken the seat at the other end after she set the food on the table, which left no empty seats for me.

I sent a meaningful look to Zach, silently begging him to save me from my awkward perch on Seth's lap. Zach tried to cover his laughter as he said, "Babe, come here."

Everyone ignored the growl that came from Cole.

I smiled apologetically at Seth as he released me from his grip. I stood and walked around the table to Zach, where he opened his arms up for me. I plopped down gracefully - well, as gracefully as I could; I was not named Grace because of my grace - in his lap and leaned back, resting my head in the crook of his neck.

To be honest, we actually did make a pretty convincing couple.

"Well," Nessie began, breaking the tense silence. "Let's eat."

Nobody had to be told twice. We all dug into the scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and smoked ham slices in silence. I think we were all afraid to say something that would send Cole off the deep end. He had already previously been a complete jerk to me, attacked Zach, and was currently shivering and sending death glares our way.

Coleman Uley was a very unpredictable being. Who knew what stunt he would pull next?

The moment both Zach and I were finished, we left with the excuse that my father didn't know I was away. Nobody questioned that, because they all knew Paul and none of them wanted to be the target of his wrath.

The moment we were out of the house, I let out the breath I had been holding.

"Oh my gosh, that was _so_ not what I was expecting," I admitted as Zach and I walked, side by side, down the road towards my house.

Zach snorted. "What _were_ you expecting? For them to hug us and say, 'We're so happy for you?' Yeah, like _that_ would happen."

"No, but I didn't expect for Cole to nearly kill you; nor did I anticipate finding myself in Seth's lap. I don't sit in guys' laps, and you know that." Wow, I felt so lame admitting that.

Zach slung an arm over my shoulders in a friendly gesture, something he had done multiple times in the past. "Ah, don't worry about it. You won't have to sit in anyone else's lap but mine - then Cole's, whenever he decides to man up and take his imprint - and I'm sure Seth will get over his boner. As for Cole, he'll come around eventually. We just might have to step it up a notch, though," he finished, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at me.

I laughed. "Oh, I am _not_ sleeping with you, if that's what you're thinking."

Zach feigned hurt. "So I'm not good enough for you?" he demanded, placing his free hand over his heart, as if it was in pain.

I rolled my eyes and playfully shoved his side. "I'm just kidding. But, seriously, what do you have in mind?"

"Maybe we should act more lovey-dovey, like our parents."

I groaned, disgusted. "I can_not_ believe you just compared us to our parents."

Zach laughed again. "Well, you know what I mean."

I slowed my pace as we reached the end of my driveway. "Okay, so, are you up for the hardest part of this whole relationship?"

Zach shot me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

I grinned evilly and nodded towards the house. "It's time for you to be fed to the wolf."

**Good? Bad? I promise I'll update quicker if you leave me a review XD**


	8. Chapter 7

**I stayed home from school today because I was sick, so I found the time to write and upload this chapter. It's a suckish chapter :/ Hah.**

**Oh, and here's a shoutout to paul's wifey for being the 100th reviewer! I was so excited to get 100 reviews =D**

**Anyways, I hope this tides you over until I write up the next chapter, and remember: reviews make me happy!**

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_I keep on ducking, keep on ducking  
And nothing helps  
I can't stop missing you  
- Kid Cudi_

To say I was surprised with my father's reaction would be the understatement of the century.

I was shocked, to say the least. How could my father, the man who freaked out and nearly phased when we ran out of Doritos, stay calm through some of the biggest, craziest news he'll ever hear?

When Zach and I shared the secret with my parents, whom we had dragged - figuratively, since my father wasn't one to be dragged willingly - from their bed early on a Saturday morning, my mother probably had a worse episode than my father.

Surprising?

I should think so.

My mother, the calm one in the family, almost fainted at the idea. The first words out of her mouth were, "Saydren Grace Reid, I did not raise you to be a slut! How can you be with two guys at once?"

Of course, once we actually explained the entire story to them, they understood and accepted it. Though, Dad had to add in his two cents.

"If I see my baby girl shed one tear over this, Michaels, I swear to God I'll find you and rip off -"

He never got the chance to finish because Mom cut him off quickly and told us that they would keep the secret. She also had to explain to us the risks - if we happened to ever be in the wrong place at the wrong time with Cole, he just might snap.

And, to be honest, I was probably the last person who needed to be around Cole when he snapped.

Because, even though he may have imprinted on me and was supposed to love me forever, I was the source of his anger, and he would most likely target me if - or when - that anger got the best of him.

Once everything was ironed out between my parents, Zach, and I, Zach headed home, saying that his mother had expected him once his shift was over, but with the recent incidents, he was almost an hour late. Kim Michaels may have been a completely innocent woman in public, but when she was angry, she was one hell of a sight.

I, for one, would never want to be on her bad side. Ever.

It was nearly eleven when I received a phone call from Tami, inviting me to ride to Seattle with her and shop. Although I wasn't much of a shopping-person, I decided that it was better than sitting on the couch all day with thoughts of Cole.

Anything was better than being alone with thoughts of Cole.

I guess I should've rethought my decision, though, because not four hours later, I found myself standing in the middle of the mall, holding fifty million bags from almost every store imaginable, and not one of them held something for me.

I should've known better than to come on a shopping trip with the daughter of the wealthiest man in La Push. Which, to be honest, wasn't really saying much. Everybody had it rough in our little town money wise.

"Oh, we totally have to go into that store!" Tami gushed as she grabbed my arm - what part wasn't covered with bag handles - and literally dragged me into some store with manikins in the windows dressed in what I assumed were fashionable clothes. They weren't anything I would wear, though.

I groaned and followed Tami around like a lost puppy, smiling fakely whenever she asked how something looked on her and replying with unenthusiastic "Great!' 's or "You look wonderful."

At least it kept my mind off of Cole, even if only for a short while.

Note, I said short while.

Five minutes into our shopping trip, my mind was centered around Cole.

Everywhere I looked, something reminded me of him. Or I would imagine him wearing something. Not only was it annoying, but it was mentally humiliating.

Why in the world couldn't I stop thinking about him?

My mind had bruises due to the many times I had mentally slapped myself.

Tami was obviously worried about me. I would zone out in the middle of conversations, my mind once again circling around Cole, and Tami would think I was having some kind of brain aneurysm. Strange assumption, but hey - we're talking about Tami. Need I really say more?

It was nearing four in the afternoon when Tami announced that we were taking a break. I wanted to hug her until she suffocated - no, really. I was exhausted, and the minute we reached an available table in the Food Court, I dropped every bag onto the floor and sighed heavily.

"Wha- Grace! You can't just throw that stuff down! Some of it might break!" Tami exclaimed, her hands on her hips as she glared down at me. It wasn't my fault she was nearly three inches taller than me! I was short and I knew it.

I shrugged and dug my hand into my pocket, searching for the twenty dollar bill my father gave me before I left the house that morning to come to this wretched place with my best friend, who was just turning out to be a pain in the rear.

"I didn't throw anything. I dropped. There's a difference," I replied a bit harshly. In my defense, I wasn't having a very good day. Not only did the guy who was my soul mate hate me, but now I was supposedly dating my best guy friend and my best girl friend was pissing me off. As if that wasn't enough, I had a headache and I was in the mall, with a hundred other people, which only led to a pissier Grace.

Tami rolled her eyes but didn't comment. My pissed off mood was rubbing off on her, and I honestly felt rather bad about that. I didn't mean to make her day bad - she was, after all, the one who invited me on this trip when she really didn't have to. And all I was doing was ruining it for her.

I instantly felt bad for my behavior, but Tami walked off before I could apologize. Oh well, she would be back in a minute with food - which always made her feel better - and then I could make it up to her by buying her an ice cream.

Ice cream was the greatest peace offering invented by man.

I gently pushed the bags I had dropped earlier into a neat circular pile before straightening up and unfolding the bill in my hand. I couldn't decide on what I wanted to eat. My eyes scanned the numerous signs, advertising what the specials were and what each place was known for.

I turned to take in the restaurants behind me as I tried to focus on food and not on Cole, and found myself face to face with another body.

Only, this wasn't any ordinary body.

I had seen ones like this before, thanks to my unusual predicament. And I knew I had every right to be scared out of my mind. Terrified, even.

Because, standing not two inches in front of me, was a creature known to my family as a killer, an enemy. One of the same kind I had only met in person a few times when Nessie's family came to visit, but could never forget, even if I tried. I wanted to turn back around and forget that he was there, forget that I had seen his kind before.

But, I knew I couldn't escape him now.

I could never escape a vampire.

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**Guess what? My birthday is in two weeks, and you know what would make it special? If I could reach 200 reviews by then :D Even if somebody simply reviews 100 more times as an anonymous person. I'll love you forever and ever and ever xD**

**But, if I can't get 100 reviews, can I at least get 20? Please?**


	9. Chapter 8

**I apologize for the short chapters, but at least it's something, right?**

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_I stay running from tomorrow.  
- Mike Posner_

"Hi," the vampire breathed, his sweet, intoxicating breath washing over my face, making me feel weak to the knees. I subtly took a step back, knowing good and well that he could tell.

"U-Um, he-hello," I stuttered, my fear making me incapable of coherent speech.

The beautiful, shimmering creature in front of me grinned and stuck out his hand in the small space between us. I blinked, blinded from the sheer gorgeousness of the man in front of me. Nothing near as perfect as Cole . . .

Another bruise to the brain.

He introduced himself with a soft, British accent. "I'm Daniel."

Terrified that he would kill me then and there if I didn't reply, I gently took his frozen, rock-hard hand in mine and replied in a shaky voice, "G-Grace."

"Grace," he repeated; though, I had to admit my name sounded better off of his tongue.

"Grace? Who's this?"

My eyes flickered to Tami, who now stood next to me with a plate of steaming sesame chicken from the Chinese restaurant. My stomach growled at the sight and smell of the food, but I couldn't eat. Not when something else was going to eat me.

"Um, Tami, my dad is expecting me back right about now, so we'd better head home," I spoke quickly, not stuttering for the first time in the past five minutes. I just wanted us out of here and back on the reservation where we were safe from Daniel and his kind.

"What are you talking about? You're Dad never gives you a time limit when you hang out with me."

_Shizzz_," I thought. I wasn't one to cuss, but at the moment, I could've screamed every curse in the book. Why couldn't she just go along with me at the moment?

"Well, I'm tired. I want to go home," I said through clenched teeth as I shot her a look that clearly said, _"We need to go _now_!" _

Tami scrunched her brow and gave me a look that clearly stated I had lost my mind before shrugging and replying, "Okay, fine. Let's go."

I wanted to sigh in relief, but with the vampire still standing right next to me, I wasn't relieved yet.

I turned back to face him, but he was gone.

I blinked and glanced at Tami, who was picking up a handful of her bags. She had no clue as to what was happening, and for that, I was rather jealous. She wasn't worried, wasn't fearing for her life like I was.

But, then again, if I didn't know the mythical creatures, we both would've probably left the mall with him and been his dinner guests - only, _we_ would've been the dinner.

Tami stood up straight, a bag in each hand, and glared at me. "Grace Reid, I don't know what in the world your problem is, but you seriously need to work on your social skills. I have _never_ been so embarrassed in my _life_!" she exclaimed, flailing her arms wildly as if to prove a point while the bags flung around in the air, grasping her arms by the straps to keep from flying across the mall.

I only shrugged, knowing that if I said anything she would simply use it against me. That was how Tami was when she was mad; if only she knew what I just saved her from.

I picked up the rest of the bags and led the way back to the car. My stomach growled, but I ignored it. There was _no_ _way_ I was going back in there. The vampire was probably waiting for us to come back so he could try to trick us into leaving with him.

The ride home was quiet, except for the sound of the radio that Tami kept turned down. It was as if she was waiting for an apology from me, but she wasn't going to receive one. I had nothing to apologize for; if anything, _she_ should be apologizing to me for saving her life.

I didn't realize just how tensed I was, as if waiting for the vampire to reappear, until we crossed the border and the knowledge that I was surrounded by the wolves hit me.

I was safe.

_We_ were safe.

The vampire couldn't catch us now, could it?

* * *

**Daniel's POV**

I couldn't help but smirk at the way the Asian was so angry at the short Indian girl. The Indian was smart - she knew what I was, which meant she probably knew about what I was looking for.

As for the Asian - she was the type I didn't mind taking life from. People like her were useless to the world; bodies with no brains whatsoever that took up space. I was proud to say I rid the world of idiots like herself.

Too bad I wasn't hunting for the Asian.

It was the Indian girl that really surprised me. She was breathtakingly beautiful - what with her russet skin nearly glowing underneath the bright lights of the mall, her ice blue eyes gazing up into my contact-covered ones in fear, her thin frame shaking lightly was the terror that racked through her body. And her smell . . .

I was hooked.

No longer was I in this for just the revenge.

No, now I was in it for more; for something worthwhile.

I was in it for blood, too.

* * *

**So, is the Prologue making a bit more sense now? Hint: It's in Daniel's POV . . . Now does it make sense? Haha :D**

**Reviews make me happy! ;)**


	10. Chapter 9

**I would like to go ahead and apologize for taking so dang long to update. To be honest, I was suffering from a mild case of writer's block, and I simply could _not_ figure out what to write. This chapter is really weird and probably makes no sense whatsoever, but I hope it at least makes up for such a long time with nothing to read at all :)**

* * *

_I try to make it through my life  
In my way, there's you  
I try to make it through these lies  
And that's all I do  
- Apocalyptica_

It had been two weeks since the vampire encounter.

Two weeks since Zach's plan of us "dating" to make Cole jealous.

Two weeks since my talk with Drew, where I found out more about Cole and the feelings he was hiding from me - very well, I might add.

It had been two weeks since I last heard Cole's voice .

Sure, I had seen him around school and such, but he hadn't spoken. Not that he had actually spoken to me before that Saturday morning, but still . . . before, I had at least been able to hear him talk to others. Now, he simply watched me from afar as I hung off of Zach's arm, pretending to be something I wasn't.

Zach's true love.

My heart felt heavy with the fact that the guy I loved didn't make a move to try and win me over. It was as if he didn't care; which, to be honest, seemed like the truth.

Though, Drew's words still echoed in the back of my head when I thought of Cole's reactions.

How could Cole care about me, but not care at the same time? It made no sense.

I parked my Mustang in an empty space and shut off the engine. David and J.J. hopped out and took off towards the building, each obviously eager to meet up with their friends before the bell rang.

_Probably to copy homework_, I thought to myself as I touched up my eyeliner. After shoving my stuff back in my bag, I lifted it over my shoulder and climbed out of the car.

It was a nice day - the sun was shining, for once, and the clear blue sky seemed to mock me with it's beauty and perfectness. I internally wished that I could feel happy on a day like this.

The now-familiar _Beep! Beep!_ sounded behind me as I locked my car with the keypad, and I couldn't help but smile, even though I felt like crap.

Whoever came up with the line _"smile through the pain"_ must've seen my future.

* * *

Morning classes passed by quickly, and I learned absolutely nothing. My mind was focused on Cole, Zach, our predicament, and the vampire from the mall. I couldn't help but wonder if the vampire was somehow connected to the scent trails that the wolves had found. It made sense.

I mean, how many vampires camped out in this part of Washington?

Then again, I knew a whole coven who settled down here.

The minute the bell rang, signaling it was time for lunch, I darted out of the classroom ahead of the other students. As I daydreamed in class, I was plagued with a question; a question I was dying to ask Zach.

I nearly ran Zach over in my haste to get to the cafeteria.

"Whoah, slow down there killer," he joked as he steadied me.

I blushed slightly as a few students who had watched my collision with Zach gave me strange looks.

"Are you okay?" Zach asked when I didn't say anything. I wasn't usually very shy or quiet around him; growing up with him made me more comfortable around him, I guess.

I nodded and began walking towards the cafeteria, with Zach keeping pace with me. I couldn't muster the courage I needed to share my mind with him.

We were nearly to the cafeteria doors when Zach suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me behind him, through the side doors, and out into the broad daylight.

"Okay, what's up?" he demanded as he crossed him arms over his chest.

I took a deep breath to steady myself and tried to go about the whole thing from the side. "Well, um, you can see into Cole's mind, right?" I asked dumbly. I knew that the wolves shared a mind, and there was no reason for that question except to waste time and beat around the bush.

Zach knew me too well, and caught on to my nervous game. "Just spit it out, Grace."

"Uh, I was just wondering if you knew what he thought . . . about me." Wow, I felt stupid admitting that. I blushed even deeper as I stared at my converses, memorizing every detail of the stitching as I waited for Zach to say something.

I didn't have to wait long.

My eyes had only finished tracing one line of white stitching before he spoke. "Drew already told you."

I blinked as my head snapped up. "How did you . . . ?" He wasn't there in the meadow, was he? I didn't remember seeing him in the shadows . . .

Zach shrugged. "I was hiding in the tree line. I saw you enter the forest, and I was going to phase back, but then you found Drew and started poking him with that stick." Zach chuckled. "You scared the crap out of him."

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to make a smart remark, but Zach stopped me. "Let me finish. Like I said, I was there when Drew told you about Cole's thoughts, but he didn't exactly tell you the whole truth."

My eyebrows shot up as I stared at my best friend in shock. What was he saying? That Cole didn't actually care for me? I felt so confused and betrayed and . . . alone.

"Grace? Are you okay?" Zach asked me as he gently stroked my cheek. I guess the emotions running across my face worried him. They would worry me, too, if I could see them.

"Yeah," I lied. "What did you mean about him not telling me the truth?"

Zach sighed and dropped his hand. "Well, he told you most of it. But, he left out a little part."

"What?" I snapped, annoyed that he wasn't coming right out and telling me. Though, I really had no right to get angry; I tried the same thing just five minutes ago.

"The truth is, Cole blames you for taking his life away. And he hates you for it."

* * *

I skipped fifth period after lunch and spent the time in the bathroom, crying my eyes out. I always knew Cole hated me, but I thought it was because I wasn't pretty or something. I never thought it was because he blamed me for taking away his life. I didn't mean to make him miserable.

Sixth period dragged by, and I spent the entire time doodling on a scrap sheet of paper. I was so engrossed in my drawing that I nearly missed the bell ringing for student release. Only when Zach appeared at my side did I realize I was the only one left in the classroom.

"I shouldn't've told you," he muttered as I shoved my books into my bag and stood. I didn't bother replying to that, because there was nothing I could really say. I wasn't glad he told me, but I wasn't exactly angry for it, either. At the moment, I was simply focusing on going home, making a milkshake, and drowning my sorrows in its sugary goodness.

We walked, hand in hand, down the hallway and outside. He led me to my car, where he leaned in to hug me for our "show," as we put it. I was glad for once that I didn't have to drive my brothers home and deal with their loudness and arguments - they were spending the night with friends, since it was Friday.

"You know, I don't think you guys are a real couple."

Zach stepped back, and both of us glanced up at Tami, who now stood before us. After the vampire incident, she had forgiven me, even though I had only told her that the "guy" gave me the creeps, which wasn't too far from the truth. Since then, we had been on good terms, but as she stood there with a glare in her eyes, I knew something was up.

"What do you mean?" Zach asked, and only I could tell that he was internally freaking out that we'd been caught. It was the way the corner of his eye kept twitching, which usually would've made me laugh, but at the moment I was too afraid of the same thing he was afraid of.

Tami rolled her eyes. "I _mean_, you two only hold hands! Normal couples are always whispering and grinning at each other with these lovey dovey faces. You guys don't even _kiss_!" she exclaimed as she threw her hands around in the air, as if to prove a point.

"Tami, do you not know me at all? Do I _look_ like the type to go around making out with my boyfriend in public?" I asked, trying to sound serious and annoyed, when inside I was terrified that she was onto us.

My best girl friend simply glanced between the two of us before smirking. "Fine then. Since there's no one around, I'm sure you wouldn't mind a demonstration of how you two are when you're not in public?"

I blinked and shared a look with Zach. Was she serious? She wanted us to kiss, right here, in the parking lot? In front of her?

I had to kiss my best friend?

Well, to be fair, Tami didn't know the truth behind our lies.

"Um, e-excuse me?" I stammered, the nerves and fear now threatening to swallow me whole.

Tami's smirk grew. "You hear me."

I was stunned. I sure wasn't going to make the first move on this one. I had no experience at all with kissing guys, especially guys that were my best friend whom I was pretending to be in a relationship with.

Besides, I never actually thought we would be put on the spot like this. I mean, how many people demanded to watch a couple kiss?

I could think of only one, and she was standing not two feet away from me.

"Well, go on," Tami prompted, and I had the sudden urge to slap that stupid smirk off of her face.

I heard Zach groan under his breath as I opened my mouth to tell Tami to buzz off and annoy some other couple, but I was interrupted as Zach's lips covered mine in a sweet kiss. It was short - merely a peck of the lips - but it was amazing. Not how I had imagined it, but still rather good for being from my best friend.

Zach leaned back and showed his own smirk to Tami. "Satisfied?"

Tami rolled her eyes again and stalked off, obviously upset that we were telling the truth. I guess she felt left out that her two best friends were now a couple, and she was the third wheel. I really couldn't blame her, though, because if I were in her shoes, I would probably be feeling the same way.

Zach and I shared a look and began to laugh, but he stopped short and spun around to face the trees that were a few hundred feet away.

"Zach, wha-"

I didn't get to finish.

Because, when I turned around, I saw exactly what Zach saw, and understood immediately.

There, standing at the tree line, was Cole. And he was shaking violently as he stared us down.

He had seen everything; I was sure of it.

* * *

**Reviews would really make my day, and possibly bring another chapter soon :D**


	11. Author's Note

**HOLY CRAP GUYS! I'M BACK!**

**It's been like, forever, right? **

**I apologize for such a long wait, and I know there are absolutely NO excuses for making everyone wait a year for an update, so I'm not even gonna try to make any. I just wanna say I'm SOOOOO sorry for taking so long, and I hope everyone will enjoy the story as I attempt to continue with it. **

**It's been a year since I actually wrote anything, so I know I'm a little rusty. I apologize if my writing sucks now! Please bare with me. Lol.**

**So, I've kinda come up with the next chapter randomly, and I hope it goes along with what you guys were looking for. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to PM me! I need all the ideas and help I can get. .**

**Anyway, I just wanted to get all of that out of the way and say that all of these reviews I've gotten over the past year have really made my day :D And I'm determined to finish FtLoG now xD**

**Sincerely,**

** .soulx (formerly obsessed-with-paul ; I figured a new year should come with a new name XD)**


	12. Chapter 10

**Well, it probably sucks. But I had to come up with something, right? Haha. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Should've done something but I've done it enough  
By the way your hands were shaking  
Rather waste some time with you.  
Should've said something but I've said it enough  
By the way your words were faded  
Rather waste my time with you.  
- The Used_

* * *

Well crap.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Cole was supposed to push all hatred thoughts aside and come running to me to express his undying love _before_ I had to share any majorly intimate moments with my best friend.

I closed my eyes and wished the past five minutes out of history.

"Ah, damn. I think that just sent him over the edge . . ." Zach muttered before shooting me an apologetic look.

I sighed. "We didn't have a choice. It's not your fault, Zach. I'll just have to talk to him . . . tell him the truth . . ." Yeah, like that would work. He'd just kill me faster.

Zach shrugged and muttered something incoherently before saying, "I've got to go. Jake wanted me to patrol tonight."

I nod and turn to get into my car when his voice stops me.

"Um . . . if I see him, what do you want me to say?"

I'm silent for a moment as I think. Should we come out with the truth? What would be the consequences? He'd hate me even more?

I shake my head to clear it of the painful thoughts, and to reply to Zach's question. "Just continue with the pretend relationship for now. I have to figure out a way to make him stop hating me . . ."

I spin around, tears brimming. "I'm sorry Zach. I know I'm dragging you down with me. I . . I'm just really sorry."

Zach steps forward and wraps his big, strong arms around me in a bear hug. His hugs used to comfort me, just like my father's did. But now, there was only one set of arms I wanted around me, and they were off limits.

"It's okay, G. It was my idea. I'm sorry it's making things more difficult. But it seems to be getting to him, which is more progress than before." He grins down at me a little. I can't help but smile a bit back.

I turn and get into my car, wipe the wetness around my eyes away, and drive slowly towards my house. I couldn't help but worry over Cole and how he was doing. Was he okay? Did he hate me even more now? Would he forgive me when he found out the truth?

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of something falling. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I froze, holding my breath, in the same position of was sleeping in. A figure stood by my open window. It was tall, broad, and resembled one of the wolves in human form. But why would they be in my room in the middle of the night?

I was about to scream for my dad to come save me from this intruder when he stepped forward, quietly, carefully, into the streak of light coming from my night light in the corner – I had a fear of the dark ever since my parents told me scary stories as a kid of vampires.

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head at the sight before me.

Coleman Uley, shirtless and sexy, was standing beside my bed, a sad look on his face.

I quickly shut my eyes to tiny slits so I could still spy on him, but he wouldn't know. Cole took a few steps forward and sat on the edge of my bed. Even sitting, he was still huge compared to me.

I tried to breathe slowly to mimic my sleeping self, but my heart was doing summersaults. I watched as Cole stared at my "sleeping" form, his eyes showing a mixture of hurt, anger, and . . . love?

He gently took my limp hand that was hanging out of the covers and held it up, inspecting the red nail polish I had put on my fingers a few days earlier. He smirked slightly and kissed each fingertip, sending jolts of electricity up my arm and down my spine. I almost physically shivered, and it took everything in me to stay completely still. I sighed as my muscles ached with the want to release this tension.

Cole tucked my hand under the covers and stood. He walked around my room, snooping through my stuff while I "slept." He flipped through my movies and books, smiling at my selections, and rooted through the stack of papers I kept on my desk. I stayed calm until he pulled out the folder I kept the poems and song lyrics I wrote in classes and in my free time.

I almost jumped up and snatched the folder away, but that would've given me away.

His back was to me, but I could see how his muscles tensed as he read the pain-ridden lyrics and rhymes I had written – each and every one about him. I had never been one for writing until a few weeks earlier when he had turned my world upside down.

Cole slammed the folder back onto the desk and spun around. From the corner of my eye, I could see he was angry, unlike when he had come into my room. He strode forward and stopped just beside my bed.

He glared down at me for a few long seconds before his expression melted into pure torture. A single tear fell down his cheek and dropped onto my nose. It tickled, and I wanted so badly to reach up and wipe it away before it made me sneeze.

I couldn't focus on the tear trickling down my nose, though. The main question running through my mind was why was Cole Uley, the meanest ass I knew, crying?

This boy was so bipolar. One minute he hated me, then the next he was kissing my fingers in the middle of the night, and the next he was angry at my writing, then crying above me. What in the hell was going on?

I was so confused and mentally drained.

I almost opened my eyes to barrage him with these questions when he began to speak.

"Why did you do this to me?" he whispered. "I don't even know you. You weren't supposed to be my soulmate. . ." he trailed off.

I wanted to cry. Is this why he came here? To tell me he hated me then run off frolicking through the woods, content with himself? I wanted to slap him, but mostly I just wanted to hug him.

Cole leaned down close to my face. I could feel his sweet, warm breath washing over my face, and it took all that I had to keep my heart from bursting from my chest. His lips briefly touched my forehead, sending more jolts of electricity down my spine and flutters through my heart before he whispered one last plea.

"Please . . . give me a chance."

Then he was gone.

* * *

**What do you guys think? Give me some input! (:**


	13. Chapter 11

**I just can't seem to get my writing groove back :/ But I'm trying, guys. Here's another, rather shitty, chapter. Haha.**

**P.S. Mayday Parade's song, The Silence, is an amazing song. Just saying. Go check it out. xD**

* * *

_Every night she cries.  
__And dies a little more each time.  
__Say you love me.  
__Nothing left inside.  
__Say you love me  
__And the silence will set her free.  
- Mayday Parade_

I woke up the next morning to seven missed texts from Tami. I didn't remember falling asleep – after Cole left, I simply laid in bed, counting the seconds while my brain tried to sort through the strange visit.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat up in bed, grabbing my phone on the way up. Tami was obviously excited over something, what with the three billion exclamation marks that cluttered each text message. I sifted through each message before typing back a quick reply and dialing Zach's number.

He picked up on the first ring.

"Hellur?" he asked, mimicking Madea from the Tyler Perry movies. I couldn't help but giggle a little as I pictured my Indian best friend with a white curly wig and giant fake boobs beating up on people like a madman – or woman.

I stifled more laughter at my thoughts as I choked out, "Tami wants us to meet her in Port Angeles for lunch. Feel like driving?"

I could almost hear Zach's grin through the phone. "So, you and me, alone, for an hour and a half, driving through miles of untouched land, where any murdered could dump a body and never be caught . . .?" he trailed off suggestively.

I rolled my eyes. Of course he'd be a creep about it. "Shut up, Michaels. It's you and me, alone, for an hour and a half, singing like broken-hearted maniacs to Taylor Swift."

Zach's loud laughter on the other end almost blew my eardrum clean out of my ear. I held the phone at arm's length as his muffled voice said, "See you in ten, Reid," before the ended call screen appeared.

I tossed my phone on the bed and headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower.

It was going to be a long day.

Thirty minutes later, Zach and I were on our way to Port Angeles. The day was overcast, as usual, but on the warm side. With Zach's help, my mind was clear of a certain werewolf, which put me in a good mood. As Zach's truck barreled down the highway, we belted out the choruses to all of our favorite songs like retards, with high-pitched, nasally voices.

As we neared Port Angeles, a feeling of dread creeped down my spine. I shook it off, thinking it was thoughts of Cole jarring my mind.

Zach pulled his truck to a stop in front of a small café in the heart of town and shifted into park. We hopped out, linked hands to make our appearance more "couple-y" and entered the building.

It was an Italian place. The little round tables had clean white table cloths covering them, and a single tall candlestick in the center. Since it was only noon, the restaurant was nearly empty, but I had a feeling that if we came back that evening, we would find the place packed.

Tami appeared out of nowhere and grabbed my arm, dragging both Zach and I towards the back of the restaurant. As we walked, she excitedly yapped on and on about a guy she had met. He was apparently strong, sophisticated, and extremely sexy.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at my best friend who thought she was in love after one day.

We approached the table where a young man sat with his back to us. He had short, dark brown hair and pale skin – _very_ pale skin. A nagging thought in the back of my mind reminded me that I had seen him before, but I pushed it away.

When he heard Tami's shrill voice behind him, the man stood and turned to face us. The memory smacked me like an eighteen-wheeler, and I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach. It was as if time froze as his bluish-purple eyes met mine and his mouth formed a small smirk.

I was standing in front of the same vampire from the mall.

He had obviously tried to disguise himself by dying his hair, but I could never forget a face like that. It was perfectly sculptured, like a Greek statue, but his menacing contact covered eyes and blinding white teeth made me want to run like hell.

I sucked in a sharp breath and shot a glance to Zach. He was staring wide-eyed at the vampire and sniffing the air, unable to catch a scent apparently. It confused me. The werewolves were supposed to be able to catch a vampire scent for up to half a mile away. How come Zach couldn't even smell this one in front of us?

Tami was smiling widely, unaware of the immense danger she was putting herself in. She took the bloodsucker's hand – causing Zach to jerk forward and me to yank his arm back – and said, "Zach, Grace, I want you to meet my new boyfriend. Daniel."

_Daniel._

So the human-killer had a name.

I glared at him. "We've met."

Zach and Tami looked at me, shocked. Tami began to speak, but I cut her off. "Tami, do you not recognize him? It's the creep from the mall."

_Daniel_ took a miniscule step towards me, only noticeable because I was watching him so intently. Zach immediately snaked an arm around my waist, prepared to yank me out of the way at any moment. I tensed as the bloodsucker smiled a bit wider.

"I'm sorry. I don't seem to understand. I have never seen you in my life."

Lies.

Tami sent me an icy glare for accusing her boyfriend of being a creep. I ignored it.

"Grace, if you can't be nice, maybe you should leave," she hissed.

I couldn't believe Tami was choosing the vampire's side. My best friend, whom I had always trusted and whom had always trusted me, was believing a killer. I was utterly shocked.

I wanted to forget about this and stay to make Tami happy, but I couldn't spend another second in the presence of a bloodsucker. I flickered my gaze to Tami, apologies lacing my features. "I have a hair appointment in five minutes," I lied. "We should go." I turned, dragging my werewolf best friend with me.

Once we were out of the restaurant, I collapsed against Zach's shoulder. "Oh . . . my . . . God," I whispered between gasps of air. Only now did I realize I had been holding my breath.

Zach was shivering, his body wanting to break from its human form. The last thing we needed was for him to phase here on the sidewalk.

"Zach, calm down," I muttered.

Zach dropped my hand and covered his face, breathing deeply to calm himself. I waited patiently.

His hands fell from his face as he exclaimed, "I couldn't smell him, Grace. Why couldn't I smell him?!"

I could only shake my head. I had no answer for him.

My eyes caught sight of a beauty parlor down the block. A small smile came to my face as I grabbed Zach's hand and started walking.

"Where are we going?" he asked, confused.

I laughed shakily, still frightened after the vampire encounter. "I told Tami I had to get a haircut." I smirked up at my best friend.

"And you know I'm not a liar."

* * *

**So whatcha think? It's really short, I know. But at least it's something! Haha xD I'm working on the next chapter, but I'll only post it if I get to 260 reviews! I'm evil xD **

**Let the reviewing begin! XD**


	14. Chapter 12

_I've gone away.  
Seen better times in yesterday.  
It's hard to say.  
That everything will be okay.__  
- Hollywood Undead_

My mother nearly killed me when she found out I had my hair cut. Though, she _was_ relieved to know that this time – unlike last – a professional had held the scissors. While my mother yelled at me about how a woman's hair was her pride and glory in the Quileute tribe, my father simply laughed. He was waiting for the right time to grab my mother up in a bear hug because of how she looked when she was angry.

I wanted Cole to see me the same way.

I pushed the thoughts of Cole out of my mind and listened as my mother continued her ranting. She paced back and forth across the kitchen linoleum while my father leaned against the counter and I sat at the bar. David and J.J. both stood in the doorway, snickering at my bad fortune.

I really hadn't had that much cut off. Before, my hair had almost reached the small of my back. Now, it fell just past my shoulders in its natural waves, with fringe. I felt older and more sophisticated with this new hair – like I could conquer the world, or a certain werewolf.

Mom stopped her ranting to take a breath. She stared at me, anger contorting her features. I smiled sheepishly. I should've gotten her permission to have my hair cut, but at the time, it never crossed my mind.

My father must have figured that this was the time to step in, because he took hold of my mother's shoulders and began massaging them. This seemed to calm her down. She leaned back into my father's embrace and smiled contentedly.

I took this as my cue to leave. I pushed through my brothers in the doorway and made my way out the back door. It was getting dark – Zach had dropped me off at home an hour ago before he had to patrol – so I chose to stay in the yard. I curled up on the hammock hung between two huge pine trees on the edge of the yard and watched the evening sky as it grew darker.

I was awoken by the presence of another body next to me. Standing beside the hammock, in the dark, was a familiar figure – one who had been in my room just the night before.

"Shouldn't you be inside? It's late," the gruff voice belonging to Cole Uley snapped.

I flinched at his harsh tone. It was so different from the tone of his words last night. Why did he treat me like this? What was he holding himself back from?

I rolled over, facing away from him. "Go away."

It was silent for a moment. My mind told me that my beast of a soulmate had left, but my heart knew better. I could sense him behind me still. I closed my eyes, waiting for him to leave.

He didn't.

A rough hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me backwards, onto my back in the position I had been in to begin with. Cole was leaning over, his face now in the moonlight so I could see the annoyance in his eyes.

If I annoyed him so badly, why couldn't he just leave me alone?

"It's dangerous out here after dark, Grace. You're safer inside."

A sudden wave of anger washed over me. How dare he treat me like the lowest piece of trash on the planet, then turn around and show compassion! He had no right to play with my emotions like this. I wouldn't stand for it. My heart could not take this day to day treatment.

I shoved his hand off of my shoulder. "What do you care?" I spit, furious now. I wasn't a naturally angry person, and I was never rude to anyone, but lately my emotions had been on edge, thanks to this idiot. I couldn't help but snap.

Cole growled and stood up straight, glaring icily down at me. "Fine. You can die out here for all I care."

With that, he spun around and phased, leaving shreds of the cutoff shorts he had been wearing littered across my yard. I watched silently as he ran away, leaving me in his dust.

"Come back . . ." I whispered, wishing he would turn around and apologize for being such a jerk.

He never did.

I decided to pay Emily Uley a visit after school on Monday. After dropping off my brothers at home, I headed over to the other side of town where the Uley's little yellow house sat, surrounded by woods. From what I had been told, they had lived in this house ever since they were engaged, and the wolf pack began in this home. Years of meetings and joyful get togethers had been held here. The walls were laced with the history of the pack.

I climbed the small stoop and rang the doorbell. Within seconds, the familiar scarred face of my soul mate's mother appeared behind the white wooden door, and upon seeing that it was me, she smiled.

"Grace! Come in, come in." She hustled me through the doorway. "Oh! Lovely haircut, dear." She fingered one of my natural waves and smiled brightly at me. I blushed and muttered a quick, "Thank you," before following her down the short hallway into the kitchen. I had apparently interrupted her cooking spree, if the counters covered in pots and pans of freshly cooked food were in consolation.

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked shyly. "I could come back later . . ."

Emily quickly shook her head and smiled. "No! I was just in a cooking mood today. I used to cook all of the meals for the pack . . ." She smiled a sad smile as she trailed off, reminiscing her past as the wolf mom. "It's a wonder Sam isn't 300 lbs yet."

I laughed nervously with her. I wasn't comfortable here. I felt as if at any moment, Cole could walk through the door and have just one more reason to hate me.

Emily motioned towards a chair at the table in the center of the room. "Have a seat, dear. Is there a reason you came today?" From the look she gave me, she already knew I was here about Cole. I felt a huge weight lift off of my shoulders as I took a seat and cleared my throat.

"I . . . I was just wondering. Why is it that Cole won't accept the imprint? Why does he hate me so badly? He avoids me at school, but then he sneaks into my room in the middle of the night to watch over me. He's so bipolar with his emotions; I don't know what to expect from him. The imprint has its effects on me, too, so it's like I'm dying inside every second I'm away from him. I don't want to feel like this. Please, can you help me?"

I was nearly panting at the end of my plea. I had spoken so fast, my tongue felt numb and my jaw hurt. My heart was racing, my palms felt clammy, and I felt ten years older than I really was with these problems I had.

Emily put down the mound of dough she had started kneading while I spoke and turned to look at me sympathetically. She sighed and shook her head as she took a seat across from me at the table. She put her arms on the table and clasped her hands as she raised her head and looked me square in the eye.

"Grace, I promise you Cole will eventually accept the imprint. Right now, he's angry; not directly at you, but more so at fate and the werewolf gene." Emily took a deep breath and smiled slightly while she looked off to the right. "You see, Coleman had dreams. Ever since he was a child, he wanted to be a professional football player. His father had that same dream, but of course, it never happened . . ." I reached across the table and patted Emily's hand as she blinked back tears. She smiled in my direction. "Thank you, dear. As I was saying, Cole wanted to get away from La Push. But last year, before the transformation, he told us of his college plans." More tears. "Cole was accepted into the University of Seattle, Grace. He had a full scholarship for football next year, and he was going to get a degree in medicine so he could come back to La Push and be the doctor so we wouldn't have to rely on a bl- . . vampire."

I could feel tears brimming behind my own eyes as Emily's own fell. Cole didn't hate me. He just lost all he had worked so hard for. I wanted to hug my soul mate's neck and tell him he could still follow these dreams. I would support him. He just didn't take the time to talk to me like he should have.

The back door opened and Sam entered. His gaze fell on each of us as confusion laced his features. "Am I interrupting something?"

I shook my head quickly and blushed as Emily's quiet laughter sounded. "Honey, Grace just came by to visit. By the way, you need to talk to Cole. He's been rather . . ."

She looked to me for words. I shrugged and shook my head, unable to come up with a word to describe the treatment Cole had given me. Emily smiled softly and continued.

". . . assholish, I guess."

Sam sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I swear, I don't know what I'm going to do with that boy." He looked at me and nodded his head. "I'll talk to him, though. He's got to make a decision."

I smiled slightly and stood. "Thank you both. I really appreciate it."

Emily stood with me and walked around the end of the table to hug me. "Anytime, dear. If you ever have any more problems with that boy, you can come to us." She leaned back and smiled. "We'll knock some sense into him."

I smiled for real this time and sighed in relief. Maybe this was the beginning of a change. I silently prayed that this would help Cole realize that he didn't have to give up everything for the imprint.

Emily walked me to the front door and hugged me once more before I turned to leave. But just as I opened the door, I looked over my shoulder at the aging Quileute woman who had survived so much in her lifetime.

"Tell Cole that I had dreams, too."

Emily nodded and smiled as her eyes watered. I lowered my head, my face set in emotionless stone, and disappeared out the front door.

**Eh, it's kinda blah. I can't seem to get back into my writing groove. :( At the moment, however, my goal is to just finish this story. I think two years is long enough to put it off, haha. So I hope you guys enjoy it! **

**Reviews make me happy. :D**


	15. Chapter 13

_I cannot get out of this place that I am in.  
When every one of your words; they mean nothing.  
I cannot get closer to you.  
- Forever the Sickest Kids_

Zach grabbed my hand and led me down the wooded pathway. It was Wednesday. Since it was sunny, the young pack decided to spend the afternoon at the cliffs up near Second Beach – the more dangerous cliffs that many tourists and daredevils had died jumping from. Zach begged me to tag along and take pictures of him jumping for his Facebook since I couldn't jump – I was only human.

The guys were already here, leaping from the edge of the cliff and diving into the dark waters hundreds of feet below. The super human strength protected their bodies as they made impact. I wished I had the same strength so I could join in on the fun.

I clutched my Canon 1100d in my right hand as Zach dragged me up the cliff side by my left. I had a fear of heights; I gulped and looked away from the edge as we reached the top.

"Hey guys!" Zach greeted as we reached the surface. The boys sat in a circle in the center of the top, a bottle in the middle. They were spinning to see who had to jump next. It was a game passed down from our fathers.

The guys looked up from their spin the bottle to jump game. I briefly noticed that Cole wasn't among them. My heart panged with misery. I missed him.

I mentally slapped myself, shook my head, and tried to focus on something else.

"'Sup, bro," Drew said as he scooted over to make room between him and his younger brother, Alex. "Take a seat."

Zach quickly joined the group. I felt a bit left out, sitting on the outskirts watching as each boy took his turn to jump. I quickly snapped pictures as each boy flipped or dived off of the edge.

Zach's turn finally came around, and I jumped up to my feet to meet him at the edge. I wanted to get a good picture of him with the ocean a hundred feet below him, facing upwards, smiling at the camera. It would make for the perfect profile picture. I felt like a professional photographer in the making.

Zach grinned at me and shot me a thumbs up. I nodded and lifted my camera, prepared to start the round of pictures. Just as Zach took a step to run to the edge, a figure appeared at the top of the pathway. Zach noticed his presence and the change of expression on my face as my eyes came in contact with my soul mate.

Cole stood at the edge of the path leading down the cliff. He had obviously come to join the fun, but wasn't expecting to see me here. His eyes were locked on me, a mixture of fury and joy in their depths. I didn't know whether to run or stay.

Zach turned, his back facing me so I couldn't see his facial expression. I could only hear his words.

"Cole."

Cole's eyes flickered to Zach, but otherwise ignored him. The rest of the pack sat quietly, waiting to see what would happen. Some snickered as they imagined the ending of this encounter.

"What is she doing here?" Cole spit, his eyes finding their way back to me. He stood nearly twenty feet away, yet I could still feel the waves of anger rolling off of him. I wanted to cover my face and cry my eyes out. It wasn't fair. I wasn't supposed to be hated by my soul mate . . .

A tense silence followed as all eyes shot between Cole and me. My heart pounded in anticipation. I locked my legs into place to keep them from running me into his arms.

Cole glared at me, his fists balled at his sides. I flinched as Zach stepped between us.

"Cole, she's with me. My girlfriend, remember?"

At the mention of _girlfriend_, Zach physically flinched. My heart rate sped up, hoping he was gaining some sense. But just as quickly as his façade had dropped, it was back up again full force. He growled lowly at Zach, his body beginning to shake lightly.

"That bitch isn't welcome."

I whimpered softly and winced at the name. He had resorted to cursing me, now. I should've known nothing would get better. Zach began shaking, his body vibrating. The guys – still sitting on the ground – each began to grin and snicker, excitement of a fight getting to their immature minds.

"Don't call her that," Zach growled, defending me. I mentally made a note to hug him for that later.

Cole took a few steps towards Zach, his body shaking harder. "I'll call her whatever I want. She's _my_ imprint," Cole spat, flashing a glare towards me. I shied away and stared at my tattered converses, wishing he'd go away and leave me alone.

Zach laughed darkly. "Oh yeah? Well man up and take your imprint, instead of wussing out like a pussy and whining over losing your dreams. You've got a great girl, but you won't give her a flipping chance. She had to start a _fake _relationship with me just so you would notice her, for God's sakes! You don't have the right to call her a bitch, and as far as I'm concerned, you won't ever have the right to call her anything because you're too much of a crybaby. Make a choice, Uley. Take her, or leave her the hell alone."

My eyes grew wide as my best friend and my soul mate suddenly stopped shaking, each frozen in place. I waited silently, holding my breath as they stared each other down. The rest of the pack had stopped laughing, each waiting this tense moment out with me.

Cole looked at me, his eyes softening, but spoke to Zach. "Wait . . . so you two _aren't_ together?" His fists clenched, but his body stayed still. I still held my breath.

"She's my best friend," Zach whispered. "I was just trying to help."

Cole suddenly began shaking fiercely as he glared full force at me. "So you lied to me?!" he yelled, his eyes boring into my soul as I stepped back slightly, trying to escape him. I felt the back of my foot hit air. I was at the edge, and there was no escape. I stepped forward to keep from falling and nodded meekly, averting my eyes back to my converses.

A loud roar filled the air as Zach yelled, "Cole, calm down!" My head shot up just as Cole leaped at Zach in human form, shaking so hard his form blurred. The force knocked Zach backwards a few feet, his muscled, toned body slamming into mine. I was shoved backwards, and just as I realized I was in thin air, I screamed and flailed my arms wildly.

I tumbled backwards over the edge of the cliff just as the entire pack jumped to their feet and swarmed the edge, yelling my name in fear. A body soared over, grabbing me midair. The two of us fell towards the ocean. My throat closed, preventing another scream as I clutched onto the warm body. He had positioned himself underneath me so the impact would affect him the most. His arms held me tight around my torso. I squeezed his wrists and let the tears fall from my eyes as I silently prayed.

Just before we hit the water, his deep voice whispered, "Hold your breath," in my ear. I swore I felt him press a kiss to the side of my head before the icy water splashed around us and my head slammed back into the rock hard chest of my imprinter, causing me to black out instantly.

**It's short, but I randomly wrote this while sitting in my Statistics class. You try writing over a thousand words with a crappy pencil and a sprained wrist. XD Hahaha. I hope you guys enjoy this. :D **


	16. Chapter 14

**I got bored and decided to put together another chapter. I _know_ this one sucks, cause I wrote it in like, 5 seconds. Haha, but anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Oh, and if you can't tell my the song lyrics at the beginning, I've been listening to The Used on repeat. Favorite band ever3**

* * *

_I'll be just fine, pretending I'm not.  
I'm far from lonely and it's all that I've got.  
- The Used_

"Is she dead?"

"No, her chest is moving."

"Stop staring at her chest, Drew!"

The voices filled my ears. They were familiar, but my head was throbbing so badly I couldn't place them. I wanted to scream at the amount of pain my poor, fragile human body was under. From the neck down, I couldn't move an inch. Just the thought of movement made me want to cry. A numb, tingling sensation shot through my body, but not the good kind I felt when Cole was around. It was the kind that scared me. I briefly wondered if I was paralyzed.

My eyes were heavy and swollen-feeling, but I forced them open anyway. I blinked a few times to clear my vision and groaned as a wave of dizziness hit me. The noise attracted the attention of everyone in the room, and within a millisecond, I was swarmed with familiar faces all trying to get a look at me.

"Grace, are you okay?"

"Can you hear us?"

"Does it hurt anywhere?"

"Can you move anything?"

"Do you want some water?"

"Are you hungry?"

The amount of questions thrown at me by the pack members of their families made my head swim. I sucked in a deep breath – wincing at the pain in my ribs – and spoke for the first time.

"I'm fine. Please calm down, guys." I blushed at how crackly and hoarse my voice sounded. I obviously hadn't spoken in a while.

That's when the biggest question hit me. "How long have I been out?"

Zach, who was kneeling down by my head, answered first. "About three days. You hit your head pretty hard." Zach then grinned at me. "Cole really _is_ a hard ass," he joked, bringing a few chuckles from the others in the room. I offered a small smile since laughing would only make my ribs hurt again.

Nessie pushed through the small crowd and began ushering everyone out of the room. "She needs her rest," she pressed as she tried forcing the werewolves out the door. It was a rather hilarious sight – this tiny pale woman shoving a group of boys twice her size. In minutes, the room was cleared except for my parents, brothers, Zach, Nessie, Jake, and Cole.

When my eyes landed on Cole, I was shocked. He looked like crap. There were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in days, and he looked deathly pale. He was slouched over in an armchair in the corner of the room, a photo album in his hands. I was mortified when I realized it was _my_ photo album – my mother had created it when I was born and put pictures in it every year of my life. I didn't even want to think of the naked baby pictures that probably graced the first half of the pink book. I wanted to jump up and snatch it from him.

Too bad my body thought otherwise.

I grimaced as pain shot up and down my legs. I hadn't even moved them yet. My mother rushed forward and grabbed my hand while Nessie checked my vitals.

Nessie was working towards becoming a doctor, much like her grandfather. At the moment, she was only a registered nurse – but it was enough to take care of the minor injuries with the pack. We were thankful to have her, what with the rest of the Cullens moving away to Europe after they grew too old to live in Forks.

Zach brushed my hair out of my face while my father paced back and forth across the living room rug. My brothers were in the corner, tapping away on their PSPs. I sighed, wincing as Nessie began poking my torso.

"Did that hurt?" she asked, noticing my reaction.

I nodded. She began poking and prodding more areas, bringing more winces and jolts of pain. I was okay with it – it didn't hurt too badly – until she pressed down hard on my left side, on top of my ribs. I yelped in pain, causing Cole to rush across the room with werewolf speed, shoving himself between Nessie and I in the blink of an eye. A fierce growl protruded from his lips.

I could only stare in shock.

Since when did he protect me?

Then again, he jumped off a cliff to save me.

I just didn't understand Cole Uley. He was so bipolar – aggressive one moment, then saving my life the next. I didn't know whether to throttle him or kiss him.

I reached up with my right arm – the one body part that hurt the least – and grabbed his arm. He was so warm, and the tingling sensation that filled my hand where my skin touched his took the pain in my body away for the tiniest moment. Cole immediately relaxed under my light grip.

Nessie rolled her eyes at the slightly psychotic idiot in front of her. "Cole, what is your problem? I'm trying to help your imprint."

Cole dropped his head, making eye contact with me. He looked like a sad, lost puppy. I didn't know how to comfort him.

Zach stood from his perch next to my head and patted Cole's shoulder. "C'mon, man. Let's let Ness do her job." He led Cole out of the room and, seconds later, the back door slammed shut.

I closed my eyes and sighed. Why couldn't things be easier? Why did life have to be so difficult? What did I ever do to deserve this topsy-turvy world?

Nessie continued with her doctoring. I held my breath and focused solely on the love of my life, the boy who didn't deserve my heart, the one and only guy I would ever care this much about and stick by even while being treated like dirt.

Cole.

* * *

Nessie left soon after her examination, leaving orders for me to take it easy. I had fractured a few ribs, suffered from a concussion, and was covered in bruises. Thankfully, though, I was alive – because of Cole.

Daddy had to return to the shop to finish out his shift, and Momma had to take J.J. to Forks for his dentist appointment. David eventually left to hang out with friends, leaving me home alone. I was glad. I didn't like having everyone pitying me and staring. I liked being by myself.

After three days of being passed out on the couch, I decided I needed to stretch my bruised and sore legs. I carefully stood from the couch, stifling a groan as pain shot through me. It took me twice as long as usual to reach the back door, but I made it, and within minutes, I was rocking in one of the white rocking chairs my mother had driven all the way to Seattle to buy, years ago. It was lightly drizzling – a usual for this part of Washington State – and I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, reveling in the familiar sound.

The sound of a large stick breaking caused me to sit up quickly, my eyes wide. Standing in my backyard was a large wolf. He was black, with white dusting his two front paws. His big gray eyes were all too familiar.

Cole laid on his stomach, his giant fluffy head on his paws, and watched me from a distance. I continued rocking as my body relaxed and held eye contact with him. I didn't understand why he was here, unless it was an alpha order. Otherwise, he was just biding his time until he could tear me down again.

He crawled on his belly towards the house until he reached the back steps. My body tensed – not because I wasn't used to giant wolves being near me, but because I was sure _this_ wolf wanted to hurt me. He always wanted to hurt me.

My black wolf shimmied up the stairs of the porch and froze, watching me. I stayed tense, ready to run at any given moment. We stared each other down, waiting for the other's reaction.

Cole suddenly barked and glared at my tense arms. He wanted me to relax. I sighed and shook my head.

"You scare me," I mumbled simply, knowing good and well that he could hear me.

The saddest expression crossed his features before he shimmied on his belly, coming closer to me. He filled up the width of the porch, with tufts of his thick fur sticking through the railings to his right. He was like a giant stuffed animal, but I knew this was much too dangerous to be a toy.

To be honest, I preferred wolf Cole over human Cole. At least in wolf form, he couldn't snap at me or say hurtful words. He could only bark and glare in wolf form – and bite, if it came down to it. I hoped he had more sense than that . . .

Cole once again rested his head on his paws, his eyes lifted up, gazing into mine. I shook my head and face forward, ignoring him. I wanted him to go away. I didn't like the giddy feeling I felt inside from him being near me. I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts. He only confused me and made matters worse.

I rocked in silence for a while before he started whining, begging for my attention. I rolled my eyes and flicked my gaze back to him. He had moved closer. His nose was level with my nose now that his head was lifted up. He gazed at me solemnly before dropping his head and rubbing the side of it against me.

He was nuzzling me.

I closed my eyes and smiled slightly as the feel of his thick fur touching my skin. It left goose bumps on my arms.

He stopped and stared at me again, this time a hint of a smile in his eyes. I reached up and gently stroked the fur above his nose.

"I wish you were this sweet in human form . . ." I whispered, more so to myself than to him.

Cole jerked back as if I had burned him, his face showing his pain. I dropped my hand and gazed into his deep gray eyes.

"I'm so-" I began to apologize, but he quickly pushed backwards and darted off of the porch, disappearing into the woods. "Cole!" I yelled at his retreating form, but he didn't so much as look back.

I could feel the tears well up in my eyes, but they didn't begin to fall until I heard an agonized howl.

**If I get 10 reviews, I'll give everyone a cookie. :D**

**OR ( for those of you who are more interested in the story than one of my awful, burnt cookies )**

**I might throw in a kiss scene in the next chapter. xD Your choice.**

**REVIEW3**


	17. Chapter 15

**So guys, I'mma be going on a trip this weekend, which means no updates. :/ So I figured I'd go ahead and post this before I left so you all could get the kiss scene. I hope it's what you all expected. xD Haha.**

_I feel so alive tonight.  
You've got me feeling sublime.  
I want to yell it from the rooftops down.  
Until it's over.  
- Seether_

It had been two weeks since my fall. My ribs were healing nicely – I could move around a bit with little pain – but Nessie said it would be at least four more weeks before they were completely healed.

I awoke to the sound of Derek Sanders' voice coming through my cell phone speakers. I groaned and reached over to my nightstand where my phone sat, charging. I quickly unplugged it and flipped it open, holding it to my ear.

"Hello?" I grumbled, groggily. My eyes flickered to my clock. _7:30_. I rolled my eyes. Who in the world would call me at 7:30 on a _Saturday_?

"Grace? It is Tamiko's mother," a thick accented voice spoke. I was surprised to hear from Mrs. Yamada. She had never called me on my cell phone before. I didn't even know she had my number.

I smiled nervously, as I always did when around the Yamada's, even though she couldn't see. They were so sophisticated and classy; my family was . . . well, wild. Literally.

"Good morning, Mrs. Yamada," I replied as cheerily as I could, what with still being half asleep.

Mrs. Yamada sniffed, as if detesting my fake cheeriness, and stated, "Tamiko has not come home since trip to Port Angeles. You see her?"

My eyes widened. "No, ma'am," I choked out, worry coursing through me. Why hadn't Tami returned from Port Angeles? Sure, she had been mad, but not mad enough to run away from home. Maybe she was spending time with her boyfriend . . .

The sudden realization hit me. The vampire. He had to have something to do with this. I felt my eyes water as I quickly muttered, "Zach and I will ask around. We'll find her, Mrs. Yamada." I mumbled a quick goodbye before hanging up, not giving her a chance to grill me for answers.

I knew where her daughter was. It was a place no human wanted their daughter to be.

* * *

Zach sat cross-legged in front of me. Paper was strewn across the floor around us, each half covered with a picture of Tami taken this past summer. We had cropped it out of a group picture of the three of us that my mother had ended up taking. The three of us were scrunched together, our arms over each others' shoulders and big smiles on our faces. Seconds after the picture was snapped, Zach had grabbed us both and slung us over his shoulders before rushing into the icy ocean water, ignoring our screams and laughter. It had been a fun day.

I wiped away a tear as I quickly typed out another flyer. I was thankful Zach was here. He had done most of the work. For me, it was hard to type out complete words through blurry eyes.

Zach sat my mom's laptop that he had been using to the side and jumped up to grab a handful of sheets from the printer. He returned and picked up the pieces on the floor around us, stacking them all together.

"I think this is enough," he said quietly. Neither of us had spoken much since I called him with the news. Tami was our best friend – our only friend out of the pack. We missed her terribly.

I clicked out of the flyer I was halfway done with and slammed my laptop shut. I didn't want to look at Tami's face anymore. It was hard enough to keep the tears at bay without seeing her there, smiling like she used to.

Zach sighed and held out the stack of flyers. I gingerly took them and looked over the top one. Underneath Tami's picture, which I quickly averted my eyes from, was written:

**MISSING PERSON**

**Tamiko "Tami" Yamada**

**Female**

**17 years old**

**Missing from La Push, WA **

**Ethnicity: Japanese**

**5'5**

**120 lbs.**

**Black hair**

**Green eyes**

**Birthmark of bird on right wrist**

**Scar on belly from appendectomy**

**If anyone has any information on**

**her disappearance, please contact**

**Sam Uley, chief of police, **

**La Push Police Department.**

I nodded and handed the flyers back. "They look fine," I mumbled. I stood carefully – wincing slightly at the pain in my left side – and walked towards the kitchen. Zach knew me well enough to know that this was my way of walking away from my problems to think alone. He took his cue to leave, flyers under his arm.

I sat down at the kitchen counter and dropped my head onto my arms as the tears freely flowed.

* * *

Zach texted me later that afternoon to let me know that Tami's parents had gone to Port Angeles to post the flyers. They sent their wishes of getting well through him; neither had known of my fall until Zach told them. As far as the town knew, I had simply fallen down the stairs. We couldn't exactly tell everyone that I had fallen from the deadly cliffs and a werewolf had shielded my body from the crash.

I spent the rest of the day lying on my bed, watching TV and reading fanfictions online about my favorite book characters. My body was still slightly sore, and I was exhausted from all of the crying and emotional exertion. For the first time in weeks, I felt content and relaxed.

As I was focused in on another fanfic, my door suddenly burst open. Cole Uley, in all his shirtless glory, stalked in, slamming the door behind him. His face was a mask of angry determination, but at the sight of my shocked, scared expression, his own quickly faltered. We stood there staring at each other for a moment as That 70's Show continued playing on my TV.

He finally pointed at me and growled. "You lied to me. You told me you were dating _him_," he sneered, speaking of Zach.

My mouth slightly fell open as I stared at him in shock. It had been two weeks, and he was _just now_ fussing about it? I thought we had already crossed this bridge when he and Zach had had it out on the cliff.

"W-What?" I stuttered, dumbly.

Cole rolled his eyes and glared daggers at me. "Why did you lie? _How_ could you lie to me?" he demanded, but I could see the hurt undertone in his eyes.

I sighed and scooted up into a better sitting position, only wincing slightly at the pain in my side. Once I was comfortable, I spoke. "We only did it to make you jealous." I stared at the TV blankly. "Nothing else seemed to work," I mumbled under my breath. He still heard it, of course.

Cole flung his hands up in the air, catching my attention, as he yelled, "Well of _course_ it made me jealous! What the hell did you expect when you're _my_ imprint and you're all over _another guy_?!"

He began pacing, muttering stuff under his breath. He was angry, and I wasn't sure what to say to calm him down. I never knew what to do when it came to Coleman Uley. His mood changed constantly, along with his feelings and reactions. I was afraid just looking at him wrong would cause him to snap.

I opted with a different approach. "Why are you here?" I whispered, afraid he'd throttle me if I spoke any louder.

Cole stopped pacing for a moment, long enough to meet my eyes. His gray orbs were suddenly full of pain as he replied, "I missed you . . ." before his face once again turned hard and he resumed his pacing.

My heart fluttered at his response. He missed me. Cole missed me. _Cole_ missed _me_. I couldn't believe it.

"I missed you too," I said softly. He froze and spun to stare at me again.

"Really?" he demanded, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, but a hard look on the rest of his face. I nodded, a smile forming on my own face. Maybe we were making progress. Maybe he was finally letting his soft side show. Maybe –

He shoved his hands up through his hair and muttered, "What the hell am I doing?!" before continuing his pacing. He was growling and shaking as he thought carefully.

"Cole, you're going to wear a hole in my floor with all that pacing," I joked, trying to lighten the air.

Cole ignored me. I sighed and slowly crawled out of bed. He noticed my movement and froze, staring at me wide-eyed. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

I rolled my eyes and walked past him to the door. "Well, I figured I'd leave you to your pacing, since it's obvious you're angry at me and you want nothing to do with me." I shrugged off the hand he placed on my shoulder and walked through the door.

He followed me down the stairs to the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and searched for the orange juice while he broke the silence from his seat at the island behind me.

"I'm sorry, Grace," he apologized. "I just . . . I don't know what I'm doing anymore . . ."

I suddenly wasn't thirsty anymore. I closed the fridge and turned around to face him. Even sitting, he was taller than me. I felt so tiny and breakable next to him.

"I don't either," I admitted softly. "But I'm at least trying . . ."

Cole ran another hand through his short hair. "I know, I know. I'm sorry I've been such a jerk. It's just . . . I tried to keep a distance from you and push you away so I could leave here after I graduate, but I realize now that I can't leave without you. I need you, Grace, and seeing you with Zach _killed_ me. You don't know how much I wanted to rip his face off. And to make matters worse, I hardly know you. I mean, I already love you yet I barely know anything about you. And it scares me. I'm constantly thinking about you, but I don't even know your middle name." He sighed at the end of his confession, his sad gray eyes flickering up to meet my own blue ones. I gave him a small smile.

"It's Grace."

His expression changed to confusion. "Wait, what?"

I laughed softly and explained. "Grace is my middle name. My first name is Saydren. I was named after my aunt . . ." I stopped for a moment, remembering the stories my mother had told me. "She was killed by a vampire when she was a little girl. My mother survived, and years later the pack saved her again from the vampire." I blushed as my eyes met Cole's. "I'm sorry. I'm blabbering . . ."

Cole smiled softly – the first real smile he'd ever given me – and shook his head. "No, I'm glad you're talking to me. I've been such a . . . a . . ."

"Jackass?" I finished for him, surprised at myself for cursing so easily. I silently blamed my temperamental father and Zach's dirty mouth.

Cole grimaced. "I don't like it when you curse," he stated. "You're too sweet for that."

My jaw dropped. Did he just say something nice? About _ME?!_ I wanted to jump up and down with joy. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to find the right words. I was so shocked. My heart flipped and fluttered. I couldn't breathe.

Cole rolled his eyes, completely at ease being around me now. He was so different now than he had been since the imprint. "Don't be so surprised. I can be sweet."

I laughed – more like choked on my own heart that was crawling up my throat and begging to be released.

A howl filled the quiet house. I shivered at the sound – I had grown up around it, but I still didn't like it. I didn't like being around all of these mythical creatures.

Cole groaned and stood. His happy expression was now masked with anger at whoever it was calling him on duty. I sighed and forced a small smile. "So . . . are we okay?" I asked softly, worried that we'd go back to the confusing hatred like before.

Cole smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, we're okay." He turned to leave, but froze in the doorway, contemplating something. He nodded to himself and ran a hand through his hair again. He spun around and crossed the short distance between us with his long legs. I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, but his hands grabbed my shoulders, yanking me towards him, and his mouth cascaded down onto mine, shutting off whatever words were about to come out of my lips. I stood, shocked, my arms in midair as his lips caressed mine in a soft, sweet kiss.

If I thought the kiss I shared with Zach was amazing, I was completely wrong at what amazing was. The feeling of Cole's lips against mine made me feel like I was flying. My heart stopped beating completely as I carefully wrapped my arms around his neck. I had never been in this situation before – what with Zach's kiss being my first, and nothing like this. I felt stupid for not knowing what to do.

Cole's hands slid down to my waist and pulled my body flush against his. The warmth from his bare chest soaked through the front of my shirt, causing my body to tingle excitedly at his closeness. He kissed me hungrily, emotions pouring out through his lips. It was as if all of our fears, worries, anger, and love were shared through this single kiss.

And just as suddenly as he'd attacked my lips, he was gone. He was standing in the doorway again, a look of torture and fear on his face. I was standing, frozen, in the same position he left me in. I dropped my arms and looked at him, shocked.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't . . . I . . ." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked angry, and it seemed like he was angry at himself. He growled something under his breath, turned, and darted out the back door.

I stood there, staring at the place he had just been standing, wondering what in the world just happened.

The feeling of his lips still burned on mine, and my pulse still raced underneath my skin. I collapsed into a chair at the island and grinned like a little school girl.

Cole Uley just kissed me.

Life was finally starting to turn around.

**You know what would really make me happy? To have over 300 reviews when I get back. :D That's only like, 4 more reviews at the least. Can we make it happen?**

**Pweeeeeaaaaaaaase?**

**XD**


	18. Chapter 16

**First of all, I would like to thank all of my lovely reviewers for making my day. It was amazing to come back and see fifteen reviews :D I want to thank all of you for helping me reach my goal of 300 hundred reviews this weekend. :) Who wants to go for 400? Haha, just kidding. **

**Anyway, after a request from reviewer megan sloan, I decided to go for a Cole POV chapter. Granted, it will probably suck because of how bipolar he is and how awful I am at guy POVs. Still, I hope you guys enjoy it. And don't forget to review!**

**Oh, and I apologize for the extreme use of bad language in this chapter. You just have to understand that this is Cole's personality. :/ Sorry.**

_Just look at me, look at me now.  
I'm a fake! I'm a fake! I'm a fake! I'm a fake!  
- The Used_

** Cole's POV**

I looked down at the shredded remnants of my favorite basketball shorts. Damn Jake and his stupid meetings. I growled and ran through the familiar woods towards the location of the other wolves. Everyone was here, laughing at me in their minds. I glared at them as I broke through the bushes into the small clearing. The pack was circled around Jake, sitting on their haunches, staring at me. I glared and took a seat between Collin and Brady.

_Nice of you to join us, Cole,_ Jake sighed impatiently. I glared in return, too annoyed with myself and her existence to really give a damn about this meeting. The only thing on my mind was my stupidity and how fucking manipulative that bitch was. I wanted to rip through the trees, find a leech, and tear it apart to satisfy my anger.

If only she hadn't looked so hot standing there, in her flannel pajama pants and tank top and her new short hair falling around her face in messy waves. Those big blue eyes flashed through my mind, and I quickly shook my head to rid myself of the fear and confusion those orbs always held towards me. It killed me, yet I enjoyed the pain. I deserved it.

_Damn right you do,_ muttered Zach from his place across the circle. He was glaring daggers at me, and the hair rose on the back of my neck as I forced my legs to stay still and not project me across the circle aiming for his neck. I wanted to kill that bastard for touching my imprint. She was _mine_. And a wolf is very territorial.

_Shut the hell up, Michaels,_ I growled warningly, my teeth bared. Jake shook his shaggy head and stayed silent. It was about time we had it out, and at least the pack was here to prevent us from ripping each other to shreds and Grace was nowhere near danger.

Zach huffed. My mind was suddenly filled with a memory.

_It had been a long day. I was currently enjoying a crappy cafeteria hamburger while Tami sat across from me, texting her latest crush. I couldn't understand how girls could jump from guy to guy so easily and quickly. Then again, guys did the same thing to girls, so I couldn't really say anything. I rolled my eyes as a flirty laugh escaped her lips and her thumbs tapped away at the keys._

_The cafeteria doors flung open as Grace rushed across the cafeteria towards us. I could hear her stomach growl as she passed the empty food line. Even from a distance, my heightened eyesight could clearly catch the tears falling down her face and the pain and confusion in her glistening blue eyes. She ducked her head and pushed her legs to walk fast across the linoleum._

_Tami heard her footsteps, and looked up just in time to see Grace grab the back of the chair next to her. "Grace, what's wrong?" Tami asked softly, something unlike her. She was usually loud and obnoxious._

_Grace muttered a quick, "Nothing," as she collapsed into the seat next to Tami, but I didn't miss the flash of guilt in her eyes as she lied. Grace was never much of a liar._

_I felt my arms start to shiver, but I tensed my muscles in an effort to stop the shaking. I quickly stuffed what was left of my hamburger in my mouth and swallowed without chewing. The three of us sat in a tense silence until the bell finally rang. _

_Tami ran off to her next class with a simple, "See you guys later," thrown over her shoulder. I walked Grace to her next class before darting through the school's back door and into the woods. I phased almost immediately as the anger I felt towards Cole hit me. _

I growled. I didn't care about Grace's feelings. A tiny part of my brain begged to differ, but I quickly smothered it. I didn't care. I _couldn't_ care about her feelings; not if I wanted to get out of this Godforsaken place.

Zach rolled his eyes and glared at me. _You can't _not_ care about her, dumbass. You _imprinted _ on her!_

I started to retort but he thrusted another memory at me. A few of the pack members whimpered at the force of the thought hitting their brains. Jake growled a low warning, but none of us paid him any attention.

_Five more minutes. I mentally counted down the seconds until my patrol was over. It had been a long night, and I was ready to get home and sleep. Thank God it was Saturday, and I didn't have school._

_Four minutes and fifty-five seconds. Four minutes and fifty-four seconds. Four minutes and-_

If you don't shut the fuck up, Michaels, so help me God,_ growled Cole, annoyed beyond belief. I rolled my eyes at him in my mind and ignored his comment._

_Four minutes and fifty seconds._

_Drew, who had been dreaming of a Thanksgiving-like meal because he was hungry, suddenly jumped into alert, causing all of us to freeze and focus on his mind._

_Grace stood in front of his wolf form, a stick in hand. She was glaring at him, unaffected by the menacing growl that had just left his lips. She ordered him to calm down, and I couldn't help but laugh at how much she reminded me of Jake._

_Cole froze at the sight of his imprint in his pack member's mind. Fear filled him before anger took over. He thought of the dangers and how she could get hurt. He quickly shook the thoughts out of his head and focused on college. He had gotten an acceptance letter from Harvard. The guy was smart as hell, but when it came to this wolf stuff and his imprint, he was freaking stupid._

Heard that,_ he muttered towards me, but once again, I ignored him. _

_I focused back on Drew, but he had phased back, leaving Cole, Will, and I. But it was more like just Cole and I, because with Will, he didn't pay us any attention. He kept to himself, focusing solely on his surroundings and wolf senses. He was one quiet bastard._

_Two minutes and thirty-three seconds._

_I slowly shuffled through the forest towards where Drew had been asleep. I was hoping he and Grace were still there so I could talk to Grace about . . . something. I was careful not to think of it while Cole was around._

_I reached the edge of the forest just as Drew told Grace, "You know, Cole is pretty pissed about you being out here in the woods alone."_

_I slowly fell to all fours, eavesdropping on their conversation. I knew Drew could sense and hear me here, but he didn't make any move to unveil my hiding spot. I held my breath and listened._

_Grace softly replied in confusion, but she was obviously hiding her real feelings underneath the surface. I briefly noticed the shimmer that filled the air as Will phased back, then Cole. Patrol was over, and he was in a hurry to get away from Grace. I rolled my eyes and mentally cursed the bastard._

_I focused my attention back on the conversation a few yards in front of me. "Cole cares about you. I can see it in his thoughts. He just doesn't like to show weakness." Drew shrugged. "I guess it's an alpha thing."_

_I watched as Grace contemplated for a moment before she clenched her fists at her sides. I knew what to expect, and wasn't surprised when she flew off the handle in the next second. "Yeah, well, that doesn't give him the right to act like a jerk to me. He could at least be a little bit friendly. I'm not asking for a dang relationship right at this moment! I just want to get along with my imprint! Is that really so bad?" A small sob escaped her lips as she sighed deeply after her exclamation. I stayed still, even though every muscle in my body was tensed and ready to jump to comfort my best friend._

_Grace's face turned a dark red, and I couldn't help but snort at her embarrassment. She blushed over everything. But that was one thing I loved about Grace – purely friendship love. She was quiet and innocent. _

_"Um, eh, I'm, uh, sorry. I-I don't know w-what came ov-over me," Grace stammered as her head dropped in humiliation._

_Drew busted out laughing. I growled softly in warning – too low for Grace's ears but Drew could hear me loud and clear. He didn't bother looking my way._

_"Grace, I think that's the first time you've ever raised your voice, and I have to admit, when the pack here's about this, they're gonna be proud." Drew flickered his gaze to me, and I couldn't help but crack a wolfish smile at what he said. It was true. Grace had never spoken louder than a soft whisper, and here she was yelling and ranting. She only did that around me. I couldn't help but be proud that my little almost-sister was learning to speak her mind. _

_As Drew's laughter died down, he took a deep breath and stepped forward, grabbing Grace's shoulders. I jumped to my feet, prepared to dart out and attack if he tried anything. Drew rolled his eyes in my direction and muttered, "Chill, bro," under his breath, too quietly for Grace to hear. I huffed and sat back on my haunches, waiting to see what would happen next._

_Drew turned his attention back to Grace. "Now, I know I'm not one to give advice, but I've been inside Cole's head. Most of the other wolves are afraid of him, since he's stronger than basically everyone except for Jake and Will. But, I for one am not afraid to tell you that you're the only thing he can think about when he's on patrol. Everything reminds him of you. He sees a butterfly, he thinks about how delicate and fragile you are. He sees the beach, he thinks about how he sees you there a lot. If Zach is phased, all Cole can think about is how jealous he is that you and Zach are such good friends and he's afraid to get close to you in fear he'll hurt you in some way." _

_I froze, my eyes wide. How could Drew lie like that? Well, more like stretch the truth, and leave out important details. Sure, Cole couldn't help but think of Grace because of the imprint, but Drew failed to mention the part where Cole hated Grace with a passion, and wanted nothing more than to break the imprint and move far away. To Cole, Grace had ruined his life._

_My ears perked up at the sound of Grace's voice. I hadn't realized she'd stepped out of Drew's embrace to think and pace._

_"How does that explain his reaction to imprinting?"_

_I knew that was coming. Drew was digging himself into a hole. Idiot._

_Drew took a seat underneath a tree at the edge of the clearing, facing me, and watched Grace pace. "I guess he's just as confused as you are. His emotions towards you are so jumbled. He loves you, because of the imprinting, but he hates you because you basically ruined his life by forcing him to be with you."_

_My breath caught in my throat as Drew spilled the words I had waited for him to say. I wasn't sure what Grace's reaction would be. Nothing like this had ever happened with imprints before. If anything, it was the human imprinted upon who fought against it, not the other way around._

_Grace spun around, her face red in anger for once. "This is not my fault by any means! If anything, I should be hating him for making my life a living he-" She stopped short of cursing. I couldn't help but smirk at how clean a mouth she kept when she was the daughter of one of the worst cursing men I knew._

_"Um, for changing everything," she quickly corrected. _

_I could see the unshed tears form in her eyes as her arms shook lightly, a sign that she was breaking down inside. I knew she wouldn't cry in front of Drew – she would be too embarrassed for that – so I decided to make my entrance and save her._

_And with that, I bounded through the bushes._

As Zach's second memory receded from my mind, I spun to face Drew, who was a few wolves to the left of me. He grinned sheepishly – more like wolfishly – towards me and shrugged his giant shoulders.

_You fuc-_

Jake cut me off with a sharp, _Enough!_ His alpha tone filled that single word, and we all sat back quietly, though I was fuming. Grace had looked so hurt, and Drew had made things worse by telling her I hated her. It wasn't the full truth . . .

_Now, I called this meeting to talk to all of you about this rogue vampire_, Jake began. _It has come to my attention that this vampire isn't just passing through. _I didn't miss the glance he shot towards Zach, then to me.

_It seems that he has kidnapped a local girl. Tami Yamada. But I don't believe he is after her. She was simply a tool in his plan. _

Jake sighed and looked to Zach. Zach pictured the vampire he had seen. It was a male, with dark brown hair and a seductive smirk. I, along with the rest of the pack, snarled at the image, prepared to destroy the being.

_A little over two weeks ago, Grace and I went to Port Angeles to meet up with Tami. She had a surprise. It turns out, her surprise was her new boyfriend . . . _Zach growled the word, unable to contain his anger. _I couldn't smell him. He has a power, like the Cullens, I guess. Anyway, Grace was smart enough to know what he was. _Zach smiled inwardly at his pride towards _my_ imprint. I snarled.

_Get on with it, Michaels,_ I warned.

He rolled his eyes and continued. _She recognized him. Apparently, she and Tami ran into him before . . . I'm not sure where. Grace called him out on it. Tami has been missing ever since, _Zach sighed, sadly. _But it's obvious that's not who he was after. The way he looked at her with such . . . such lust, it was sickening. Tami was simply just a pawn in this malicious game. It was never about her. _

I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach as Zach's eyes met mine over the circle. They mirrored the same feelings I felt.

Fear. Dread. Love.

I shook my head quickly, trying to clear it and pretend this wasn't happening. This _couldn't_ be happening. I had just made peace with her less than an hour ago – granted, I also screwed shit up by kissing her.

_You WHAT?! _ The pack exclaimed at the same time. I didn't have time to bitch them out, though.

I jumped to my feet and took off running. I had no idea where I was going, but I had to get away. The pack yelled at me to talk to them about it. But I couldn't. I was too confused with these emotions and scared for my imprint.

A part of me still hated her for ruining my future. But the imprint was winning. I could feel the pull between us as it tried to lead me to her house, but I fought it. She probably hated my guts now, after the stunt I pulled in her kitchen.

I grimaced at the thought of my stupidity as Jake broke the silence in my head.

_Cole, he's coming for Grace._

_NO! _I yelled in a broken howl as I phased back to human, the howl turning into a broken cry as I fell to my knees, completely naked and alone in the middle of the forest.

It was in this moment that I made a choice. It was in this moment that I chose to drop everything – school, scholarship, future – all for her. It was as if suddenly, reality slapped me in the face and nothing mattered except her. I didn't care about Harvard, or becoming a doctor. I only wanted to protect my imprint from the oncoming danger. I had screwed everything up between us – what with my douschebag attitude, pushing her away, then almost losing her to the ocean two weeks ago, and begging for forgiveness for my actions, only to turn around and be an even bigger douschebag and steal a kiss and think sourly of her.

The tears fell from my eyes – the first tears I cried since I was seven and my dog was hit by a car. It was as if everything suddenly made sense. I had just sorted my life out.

And it was all about to be taken away from me.

**Review? Pweeeaaaaase?**


	19. Chapter 17

**So, I ended up getting really sick after my weekend trip. :/ Life sucks, doesn't it? Hahaha jk. Anyways, I gotta stay home from school today, which gave me the chance to write another chapter. It's probably blah, but at least it has a happy ending. :D Haha.**

**Oh, and I know Cole seems different in this chapter. It's because he's turning himself around and giving in to the imprint. Just to clear that up. Haha.**

* * *

_She had an earthquake on her mind.  
I almost heard her cry out as I left her far behind.  
And knew the world was crashing down around her.  
I sink now to the ocean floor.  
Because I know that we are more.  
But I've made this mess.  
I built this fire.  
Are you still mine?  
- The Used_

Monday morning came bright and early. It had been three weeks since my "accident," and although my ribs were still technically broken and they hurt a little if I moved too quickly, I decided that I didn't need to miss anymore school. I was already behind enough, and I really didn't plan on failing out of junior year.

Momma worried that I would injure myself in the busy hallways, but Zach and my brothers promised to watch out for me. After much deliberation, she consented. The only catch was that I couldn't drive. I was stuck riding with Zach.

Zach was waiting in the kitchen, his face full of my mom's homemade buttermilk pancakes, when I finally made it downstairs. I had woken up an entire hour earlier than usual so I would be ready on time, what with me moving a bit slower now. I looked like crap in a holey pair of dark-washed skinny jeans and a gray t-shirt that I had written my favorite bands' names all over in Sharpie, with my tattered converse shoes. My hair was in a high ponytail since it was too short to stay in a low one, and shorter tendrils that wouldn't reach fell down in my face. Thankfully, the bruises had all healed, so no one would question me on that.

"Morning, sweetheart," Momma greeted with a smile as she handed me a plate of pancakes, bacon, and sausage. I took a seat next to Zach at the bar and began eating slowly.

J.J. tumbled down the stairs and darted through the kitchen, grabbing another already fixed plate from the counter. He stood across the bar from us as he quickly gulped down the food.

"Where's David?" I asked tiredly, not really caring but confused as to why he wasn't down here already. Usually he and J.J. raced to the food in the mornings, worried that the other would eat all that was left.

J.J. shrugged. "He's sick. And he made the whole room feel like Satan's layer, so I slept on the couch."

Momma dropped her spatula and spun around. Her eyes locked on Zach, and they shared a knowing look. My brows scrunched in confusion. Why was that such a big deal? He could just have the flu . . .

Then it hit me.

He was burning up, and he was of age. A shiver ran down my spine as tears welled in my eyes. I never thought of it before, but now it made sense.

"Oh no," Momma murmured, tears falling down her cheeks. As much of an honor as it was to become part of the pack, it was also a curse. Especially with a rogue vampire who could kill a young wolf with a flick of his wrist.

I dropped my fork, grabbed Zach's wrist, and stood quickly. I ignored the dull pain in my side as I dragged Zach out the front door and to the truck. I wanted to get to school and forget about the past five minutes. I focused on breathing as Zach started the truck and J.J. hopped in the back. No one said a word to me as tears streamed down my face.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

J.J. left Zach and me in the parking lot in his crazed search for his friends. I rolled my eyes at his retreating back and crawled out of the truck. I reached for my bag, but Zach beat me to it. Laughter twinkled in his eyes as he lifted my bag onto his shoulder, opposite his own bag.

"You shouldn't be lifting things in your condition," he stated.

I stared at him in disbelief before bursting into giggles. "God, you act like I'm nine months pregnant or something," I joked mid-giggle.

Zach shoved my shoulder lightly as we reached the front doors of the school. "Geez, I try to be nice for once and you shoot me down." He placed a hand over his heart as if I had literally shot him.

He received an eye roll from me as we approached the door to my first period. The bell rang, signaling the start of first period. Zach gently hung my messenger back on my right shoulder and waved goodbye before darting down the hall so he wouldn't be late.

I turned and walked into English class.

By third period, I was ready to pass out. The pain in my side had grown from the stress and extreme amount of movement I had been putting on it this morning, and I was exhausted. I entered Mr. Yonce's Honors Chemistry I class and took my assigned seat at the front table.

Once everyone had entered and taken their seats, Mr. Yonce pulled out a fat black Expo marker and began drawing a diagram on the dry erase board. It began as a giant mess of rectangles, and ended as a new seating chart with two names written inside each rectangle. My eyes scanned over the rectangles, searching for my name.

And that's when I realized I had this class with Cole Uley.

It's funny how I never noticed before. Maybe it was because I had sat on the front row for the entire year and never paid much attention to anyone else. Plus, I never really cared about Cole Uley until he imprinted on me, and even after that, I never kept up with his whereabouts.

But as I saw my name placed next to his on the board, I realized just how out of it I had been. I groaned inwardly as Mr. Yonce ordered the class to find their new seats according to the chart and picked up my bag as I made my way to my new seat at the back of the classroom.

Cole was already in his seat when I took my own. He stared at me intensely, his gray eyes burning holes through me, so I awkwardly offered a small wave as my face heated up and I looked down at the black desktop, my eyes focusing on a small carving of a heart with two sets of initial inside – obviously done in pencil by some heartsick teenage girl.

"So . . ." Cole drawled on, his voice thick with lack of sleep and some sort of emotion I couldn't pick out. I clasped my hands in my lap and slowly lifted my head to face him. I gazed up at him from beneath my eyelashes.

"N-Nice b-band choices," he stuttered, reading my shirt. His eyes flickered to my lips before guilt crossed his eyes, and suddenly it all made since. He felt guilty over the kiss.

"It's okay, Cole. I'm not mad at you for the kiss," I murmured, still looking up at him.

His face lit up, including those cold gray eyes. I couldn't help but feel giddy as my heart sped up. I made him smile.

_I made him smile._

A deeper blush covered my cheeks, and I cursed myself for cutting my long hair off, preventing me from hiding my rosy cheeks.

Cole only chuckled and looked straight ahead as Mr. Yonce began his lecture for the day.

I sat back, relaxing my head against the wall behind me, and focused on Mr. Yonce as he talked in that annoyingly monotone voice of his. I may make good grades, but I honestly hated school and the work it brought.

The crumpling of paper brought my attention down to my desk. In front of me was a wrinkled note. I leaned forward to read it.

**What are you doing Friday night?**

My eyes nearly bugged out of my skull at the sloppy words scrawled across the paper. I felt butterflies unveil their wings and fly around throughout my stomach as I pulled a pencil out of my bag and quickly wrote back.

_Why?_

I slid the paper across the desk to Cole's waiting hand. His hand blurred as he wrote with werewolf speed, nearly throwing the paper back at me in his haste. I couldn't hide the small giggle that slipped through my lips at him.

**Well . . . the fair is coming to Port Angeles this weekend. And I kind of thought that we could go . . .**

My jaw dropped slightly as I reread the words, trying to comprehend what he was asking. Was he asking me out? Was this a friendly outing? Where did we stand? Just a week ago, he had barged into my bedroom and we had made peace, with it ending in a kiss and him leaving angrily. This moment was the first I had seen or heard of Cole Uley since then, and I couldn't help but wonder if he regretted kissing me.

Cole must have gotten an off vibe from my reaction, because he quickly snatched the paper back and scribbled something else down before passing it back over to me.

**I mean completely as friends! I don't want to rush you into anything . . .**

I smiled softly and carefully wrote out a reply before slowly folding the paper in half and handing it back. The bell rang, shocking me into reality. Had it really been an entire forty-five minutes? I groaned softly and stuffed my pencil back into my bag before slinging it up on my shoulder.

As I walked through the door, I glanced over my shoulder to see Cole still sitting there, the biggest smile I had ever seen stretched across his handsome face. I couldn't help but smile widely myself as I walked down the hall towards my next class, thinking of my choice of words. I had worried that he wouldn't like my answer, but by his reaction, I was dead sure he was just as happy as I was. Things were finally looking up, and I could already feel my heart beginning to piece itself back together after such a long time of doubt.

~.~.~.~.~.~

**Cole's POV**

The feeling of my heart hammering in my chest was something completely new to me. I had never been so giddy and excited over a girl before. Then again, I had never really spent time trying to get to know a girl. Before, they had thrown themselves at me because I was the smart hot guy in class who had the charm to lure them to bed. But now, with Grace, it was different.

And I liked it.

I couldn't believe I had spent so much time and energy pushing her away. I couldn't believe I had tried to break the imprint. Seeing my soul mate fall apart killed me inside, and now I could heal while piecing together what was left of this crazy, mixed up life that intertwined us.

I didn't care that I had turned into this sappy, lovesick puppy seemingly overnight. I didn't care that I was suddenly head over heels for this girl. I just didn't care. I was too caught up in the fact that things were changing. I was turning my life around, all for her. I didn't give a damn about anything else now. I was actually _glad_ I gave in to the imprint. It surprised me, but it was the honest to God truth. I was glad I gave up everything for her.

The smile on my face was something that hadn't been there in years, and it felt good to finally have it back. I couldn't help the small laugh and the happiness that swelled inside my soul at the three little words written on the paper in front of me. Granted, they weren't the three little words that my heart was dying to hear from the girl I loved and whom fate had thrusted in my lap, but they were still three of the most wonderful words I had ever heard.

I almost shouted _Fuck yes!_ at my giddiness as I reread her reply.

_It's a date._

**Ahhhh, review? :D**


	20. Chapter 18

**Sorry for the wait. :P It's been a busy few weeks, haha. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. :D It's the longest one I've ever written. xD**

**Oh! And I apologize beforehand for the cursing. Ya'll know how Cole is . . . . Haha. **

* * *

_The emptiness will haunt you.  
__- Alesana_

The week passed in a blur. After the day he asked me out, I didn't see Cole again. He skipped school to patrol. Since the pack was much smaller now than it was when my father was a part of it, the wolves had to take on much more frequent, longer patrols to protect the citizens of La Push, especially now that there was a rogue vampire on the loose, kidnapping innocent high school girls.

Before I knew it, Friday had arrived. I was jittery with nerves throughout school, barely able to sit still during my classes. Zach could only laugh at my restlessness – according to him, Cole was also freaked out over the date. He was still working on not pushing me away, and the imprint side had him excited and nervous. That made me look forward to the date even more, knowing he was just as excited as I was.

Once the bell rang at three o'clock for school to be dismissed for the weekend, I sped home and immediately began getting ready for our date. I had no idea what time he was coming – we had never actually planned out the details – so I had to be prepared for him to come at any moment.

I ransacked my wardrobe, making a mess of my room, as I searched for the perfect outfit. I ruled out dresses and skirts; they wouldn't exactly work too well with the fast-paced rides at the fair. Shorts were ruled out, too. It was November, and in the evenings and at nights the temperatures were in the low forties.

It was half past four by the time I had finally settled on an outfit. A pair of dark washed skinny jeans and a thin white t-shirt covered my thin frame. I chose a black, lightweight jacket – zipped halfway up my torso – to block out the cold. I pulled on my black and white low top converses and left my hair down and naturally curly. I only applied a light amount of eyeliner and lip-gloss to my face and put silver hoop earrings in my ears. After a quick look in the mirror to make sure I looked decent, I skipped down the stairs to the living room, where I painted my fingernails metallic silver and waited.

A knock sounded at exactly six o'clock. I jumped from my spot on the couch and raced to the door, hoping I could reach it first to prevent any interaction between my father and my crazy, idiotic imprinter. Unfortunately, he beat me to it.

I stood back – fingers crossed – as my father opened the front door. Cole stood across the threshold, his hands in his pockets, wearing long jeans and a Metallica t-shirt even though it was forty-something degrees outside. His short hair was wet and in disarray, and I couldn't help but snort at the thought of him taking a shower to smell good for me.

"Mr. Reid," Cole greeted, his face expressionless.

"Cole," Dad shot back sourly.

They stood there for a full thirty seconds, staring each other down, trying to see who was more intimidating. I groaned slightly and pushed my way past my dad.

"Well, let's go," I muttered as I shoved against my werewolf boy's chest, pushing him away from the door. He turned and began walking towards his truck. I flinched as the sound of my front door being slammed with inhuman force echoed through the front yard and quickly followed Cole.

I wasn't surprised when he didn't open the door for me. Cole Uley wasn't a romantic like the guys in the movies. He was already in the truck and had it started by the time I had yanked open the heavy door and climbed in.

He pressed a button on the CD player and began backing out of the driveway as a familiar voice filled the cab. I slammed a sleeve-covered hand against my mouth to muffle my laughter as I pointed to the radio and asked, "Evanescence?"

He grimaced. "What's wrong with Evanescence?"

I shook my head and coughed as a giggle tried to escape. "Nothing, nothing."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed the iPhone that was plugged into the auxiliary outlet of the dashboard. "Since my music is so awful, why don't you choose something?"

I grinned up at him and took the phone. "It would be my pleasure." I flipped through his home screens until I found YouTube and typed in my favorite song. I clicked a video that seemed to be good enough and laid the phone back in the cup holder between the seats. Shake It by Metro Station began playing and I laughed at the grossed out expression on Cole's face. As the guy started singing, I sang along, rocking back and forth and moving my arms as I danced and enjoyed myself. I was always so shy around people, but with Cole it was different. I felt free to just be myself.

Cole's laughter bellowed through the cab as he watched me act like a fool from the corner of his eye. I ignored him and continued to sing and move around. He nodded his head along with the beat and, more than once, I caught him mouthing the words.

I switched the song over to Give and Take by Forever the Sickest Kids – a song Cole apparently knew, because at the chorus, he sang the _Friends ziggy ziggy la la, Friends ziggy ziggy ha ha _parts. We laughed and danced together, belting out the lyrics to all sorts of songs.

It was easily the best night I had ever had.

As another song ended, I found another song I loved on YouTube and played it. Anywhere But Here by Mayday Parade began to play, and Cole's happy face immediately fell as he recognized the song. He frowned and muttered, "Mayday Parade? Really?"

My eyebrows shot up. "What's wrong with Mayday Parade? They're my favorite band."

Cole laughed without humor in it, his mood shifting drastically from carefree to angry. I didn't understand it. "So you're one of those depressed emo freaks?" he spat.

I flinched at his tone. What in the world was his problem? There was nothing wrong with my taste in music. And I most definitely wasn't a 'depressed emo freak.' If anything, the depression I felt was directed towards this bipolar moron next to me.

"No," I mumbled, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I snatched the iPhone up and unplugged it from the auxiliary cord, leaving the system to begin playing whatever CD was in it. "I just think their lyrics are well-written, and Derek Sanders' voice is amazing."

Cole rolled his eyes and came to a stop at a red light. "How can you like a bunch of pathetic losers who constantly cry over girls they didn't deserve anyway?"

Well ouch. "What the hell is your problem?" I snapped, ignoring the tiny voice in my brain that fussed at me for cursing. I was too annoyed with Cole's mood swings at the moment to really care about my bad mouth.

Cole blanched. "My problem? You're the one who is making this so damn hard! How could fate put me with a girl who listens to such shitty music?" he growled, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel.

I blinked. Okay then. "I wish fate would've been smarter and put me with someone who was actually compatible with me," I hissed as he pulled the truck into a parking spot. I slid out of the truck quickly, but not before I heard him mutter to himself.

"That makes two of us."

* * *

Our "date" had barely started, yet I was already wishing it was time to go home. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and forget this whole night.

The fair was packed with people. The sun had already gone down, and the midnight black sky created a perfect backdrop for the glowing rides that towered in the air. The sounds of screams and carnival music filled the night. A shiver ran down my spine as a feeling I didn't expect coursed through my veins and settled in my stomach.

Dread.

I quickly shook it off and stomped towards the ticket line with Cole in tow. He stood beside me in the line, but I kept my eyes straight ahead, refusing to look at him as anger boiled in my blood. A few people in front of us stood boys who looked to be in college. They did a double take at the sight of me and grinned in my direction. I couldn't help but blush and smile back in return. My date had already gone sour – the guy I was with wouldn't even look at me. I really had nothing to lose.

One of the guys made his way back towards where Cole and I stood, leaving his buddy to keep their place. He approached me with a seductive grin and jerked his head to move his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes.

"Hey, there," he said, ignoring the shaking werewolf next to me. I turned my back on Cole and faced the cute boy.

"Hi," I replied politely and smiled. I knew this was upsetting my very jealous wolf, but I couldn't help it. I wanted him to be jealous so he'd realize he cared about me.

"I'm Ross," the boy said as he held out his hand. "And you are?"

I reached out to shake his hand, "I'm-"

A larger hand grabbed my wrist, interrupting me. "-not interested," Cole finished angrily.

The boy's brown eyes glanced up at the hulk of a man behind me, and I could only imagine what kind of glare Cole was shooting him. I smirked slightly and ducked my head as Ross scurried back to his friend.

"What the hell, Grace," Cole muttered, releasing my wrist and resuming his staring contest with the ticket booth.

I shoved him playfully. "Oh, relax. I was just messing with you."

Cole rolled his eyes, but his shaking stopped. "You were trying to piss me off."

"It worked, didn't it?" I retorted with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. I wasn't happy with him, but I didn't want the rest of the night to be miserable.

He ran a hand through his short hair before dropping that arm on top of my shoulders. I smiled widely at his touch. "Are you always this difficult with your boyfriends?"

My smile fell. "I-I've never had a boyfriend . . . Unless you count that fake relationship with Zach . . ." I mumbled.

I could feel Cole's gaze on me, but I refused to raise my head. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. He must've thought I was such a loser for not having any relationship experience.

"Well, I hope I'll be the one to change that," he murmured softly as we stepped forward to pay for our tickets and wristbands.

* * *

"So what's your favorite color?" I asked as we stepped into the park and began walking side-by-side.

He shrugged and glanced down into my eyes. "Blue, I guess." He smiled as if it was an inside joke. "What's yours?"

"Blue," I replied easily with a laugh. We seemed to have the same interest in colors, even though I could have sworn that Cole Uley was more of the dark type. I shrugged it off, figuring the guy could like bright colors if he wanted to.

We walked around the large circle that basically made up the fair. Rides created an outline barrier, while games and concession stands filled the center.

"Favorite food?"

Cole laughed. "Well, you know I'll eat anything." I nodded, knowing fully well how large of an appetite the wolves had. "But, I guess my favorite is Nessie's beef stew."

I smiled thoughtfully for a moment before replying with my own answer. "I love snicker doodles."

He snorted but otherwise said nothing. We walked in silence, taking in the scenery around us. I noticed how most of the other people our age were with their boyfriend or girlfriend, holding hands and laughing as they enjoyed themselves. I envied them for their easy-going relationships that had no mythical beings and magical soul mate forces.

"Hey, let's ride that." Cole's voice broke through my reverie, and I glanced in the direction he was pointing.

Oh dear God.

The ride he had chosen was the scariest thing I had ever seen at a local rickety built-in-a-day fair. It consisted of one car that slowly floated up a pole straight into the air, then dropped at an alarming rate until it hit the ground. It was almost like my fall from the cliff, only this time Cole wouldn't catch me.

Was he _trying_ to kill me?

My heart began beating erratically while everything within me screamed to say no. My head moved without my permission, forming a 'yes' answer with a simple nod.

Cole grinned widely and dragged me behind him towards the ride. I gulped loudly and sucked in a deep breath as we passed through the gate and took our seats in the center.

The ride operator came by and quickly pulled bars down over our heads and locked them in place. The bars came across our chests, preventing us from falling out of the ride. I gripped the bar tightly and tried to calm down my labored breathing.

The ride jerked before it began moving upwards at a slow pace. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on anything else but the fact that I was about to be a million feet in the air.

I could feel the cold nip at me through my thin jacket as a gentle wind whipped around us. We were getting pretty high, and I could almost feel my stomach drop as I opened my eyes to see just how high we really were.

I could look over the entire park from here. Even compared to the Ferris Wheel, we were almost twice as high. I wanted to cry. I hated heights, and this was pushing me to the max on my fears. My eyes scanned over the park as I searched for a ride or game that would torture Cole just as much as he was torturing me at the moment.

Something white caught my eye, and I found myself staring at something standing at the bottom of our ride. He was off to the side, standing just on the other side of the fence, as if he was watching a friend or loved one enjoy themselves on the ride. The familiarity hit me as I faintly made out the seductive grin on his face and his shaggy hair that he had dyed back to its original blonde color. His hands gripped the metal fence bars in front of him as he stared up at us, as if he was watching both Cole and I. I shuddered as he lifted his hand and waved at me.

My heart stuttered a beat as my breaths came out in whooshing gasps, and Cole immediately reached over and grabbed my hand. The ride came to a stop at the top as he leaned over and asked, "Are you okay?" As I opened my mouth to tell him we had to get out of the park, the ride jerked again and fell towards the ground.

My eyes slammed shut as a blood-curling scream emitted from my lips. My hand squeezed the life out of Cole's, and if he were human, his hand would've surely been crushed. I felt the wind sting my face as it whipped harshly against my skin, and just as I thought I was about to die . . .

We stopped.

I was panting as if I had just run ten miles. I opened my eyes as the operator released the bars around me, and Cole reached out to help me off of the ride. I was shaky from the terror and ragged breathing, and because I stumbled clumsily off of the platform, Cole kept a steady hand on my arm as he led me away from the horrible ride.

"Damn, you'd think you'd just saw a ghost with the way you're reacting," Cole muttered to himself. If only he knew how close to the truth he was. Only instead of a ghost, I had seen the devil himself.

At the thought of the vampire, I spun around to face the front of the ride where he had been standing as he watched us. I scanned the crowds, searching for his pale while skin or his evil grin, my skin growing clammy as the realization hit me.

The vampire was toying with me.

* * *

After that ride, I refused to get on anything else. Cole wasn't too happy about that, but he didn't say anything more on the subject. Instead, he spent the rest of the night bragging and showing off his skills in the arcade tent. I had to admit, he was a beast at Pac-Man.

It was nearly nine-thirty when my tummy rumbled, and only now did I remember I hadn't eaten anything since lunch. Cole only laughed at the sound of my stomach as he took my hand and led me to a picnic table.

"What do you want to e-"

"A hamburger," I blurted, interrupting him. I blushed fiercely at my rudeness. I was just so hungry. Cole chuckled as he nodded and walked towards the nearest vendor.

I turned around on the picnic seat so I was facing the table and placed my arms on it before lowering my head to my forearms. I closed my eyes and willed the heat to recede from my cheeks as I tried to push the thoughts of the vampire to the back of my mind. Ever since I had seen him, I had been worrying that he was right behind me. But I hadn't seen any sign of him since that ride.

I fervently prayed that he wouldn't reappear for the rest of the night. No, the rest of my life.

"Well hello there, Grace."

Crap.

So much for praying.

My head snapped up to find the vampire, _Daniel_, sitting across from me at the table. His arms mimicked mine on the table, but he looked so much more graceful slouching than I ever could.

"C-Can I help you?" I stuttered, trying to sound strong but failing miserably. My eyes strayed to our surroundings, and I breathed a sigh of relief at the amount of people around us. He couldn't kill me here without at least thirty witnesses.

Daniel's face slowly broke out into a smile. "As a matter of fact, you can." He leaned forward, his contact-covered eyes full of mischief. "I have a proposition for you."

I leaned back from him and moved to get up from the table. I had to find Cole. A cold hand gripped my wrist and yanked me back down into my seat. My eyes were wide as I realized Daniel had just run around the table at inhuman speeds. I wildly looked around, wondering if anyone human had seen this, worried that the secrets would be out.

One elderly woman stared at us, her jaw dropped as she apparently tried to process the scene she had just witnessed. I guess I could understand her point of view. She had just witnessed someone basically spawn from one place to the other in her mind. I felt bad for her as she shook her head and walked away, probably thinking she was going crazy.

"Not so fast, love. You should listen to what I have to say," the vampire whispered in my ear, his velvet voice sending shivers of fear down my spine. I could feel his breath on my ear, and everything in me screamed that I was too close.

"Get away from me," I tried to growl, but it came out as more of a squeak. I squeezed my eyes shut and cursed myself over and over again for letting Cole leave me here alone and unprotected.

Daniel chuckled slightly as he leaned back from my face. "Now that's where I'll have to disappoint you, love. Because I will never, _ever_ leave you alone." His ice cold hand clenched my chin and yanked my head to face his. His bluish-purple eyes pierced mine. "I _will_ make you mine."

I screamed. It was the only rational thing I could think of to do. The sound came barreling out of my lungs, and just as quickly as it escaped, it was cut off by his pale had clamping over my mouth.

"None of that, love," he murmured. "No need to startle the unsuspecting humans." He grinned devilishly and winked. I closed my eyes as tears threatened to escape. It didn't matter that I was surrounded by other people. He was still going to kill me.

I held my breath as the cold hand trailed down to my throat. His fingers curled around the side of my neck, his thumb brushing my jugular as it pulsed rapidly underneath his skin.

Then he was gone.

My eyes flashed open to find Cole hovering over me protectively, his body blurring from shaking so badly. Daniel was a few feet away on his back from where Cole must have slung him off of me. He stood gracefully to his feet and smiled at me before turning on his heel and walking off.

Cole turned his gaze to me, and only then did I see how terrified he was. He quickly gathered me in his arms and held me tightly against his chest and, without saying a word, he headed towards the park entrance. I pressed my face into his warm shirt, my hunger and fears forgotten. I was safe now in my imprinter's arms.

Once we were at the truck, Cole didn't bother opening my door. I guess he was too afraid of leaving me out of his sight for even a split second. He crawled in on his side and slid me off of his lap over into my seat before he slammed his door shut and locked the doors. He revved the engine, muttering curses under his breath as he fled out of town at speeds double the limit.

"Cole . . . slow down . . . " I whispered, finding my voice for the first time since the incident. I noted his shivering form and felt a tad bit of fear at the thought of him phasing so close to me. "You've got to relax."

Cole growled and slammed his right hand down on the steering wheel, leaving a slight dent in the plastic. "Dammit, Grace! How in the hell am I supposed to relax when a fucking leech was _right there_ under my nose and I couldn't fucking smell him?! He fucking _touched_ you and you want me to relax?!" he yelled. I flinched at his tone and the amount of times he used "the F word."

I reached my hand out to touch his tense arm. "I'm okay now. I'm safe." The words were not only said to reassure him, but to reassure me, too. I only wished they would work.

Cole muttered a few more curses as he ran a hand over his face. It was only then that I saw how watery his eyes were. Was Cole Uley . . . _crying_?

"Are you okay?" I asked tentatively, afraid he'd snap at me. He glanced in my direction but said nothing. I rubbed his arm soothingly and kept quiet as I waited for him to speak.

I didn't have to wait long.

He took a deep breath and spoke in a hoarse whisper, "I could've lost you. Right when I'm trying to fix all of the shit I've messed up, it could've all fallen apart again. I . . . I don't know what I would do if I lost you, Grace. I know I'm an asshole ninety-nine percent of the time, but it's only because I'm not used to this." He motioned between the two of us. "And I'm sorry. I am trying, though." He grimaced and ran a hand through his hair as he pulled up into my driveway. My mouth opened and closed like a fish as I tried to wrap my head around how fast we had gotten back. He really had flown.

Cole yanked me by the waist out of the truck on his side and led me up to the doorway, his eyes scanning the woods wildly for danger. I tried to focus on breathing evenly and keeping my mind off of the previous incident.

We reached the porch and I stopped on the first step and turned to face him. I was a few inches higher now, almost on shoulder level with him now that I was on the step. "Thanks for tonight," I said with a small smile. "I know it wasn't really how either of us planned, but . . ."

I trailed off in confusion as Cole sniffed the air. What was he doing? I raised my brows in question as he muttered, "What the hell is that smell . . .?" He began turning around, searching for the source of whatever smell he picked up. I watched him in confusion as his eyes flickered around us and rested on something behind me.

"Shit . . ." he breathed as he stared at something behind me.

"Wha-" I began to ask, but he quickly grabbed my arm and led me up the porch. It was only then that I noticed a brown cardboard box that was sitting just in front of the door, as if delivered and forgotten. Cole kept a hand around my wrist as he slowly approached the box, his loud sniffing still discernable.

He reached down and lifted a flap to reveal the box's contents. "What the fuck . . ."

I peered around his arm to get a look at what was in the box. My eyes grew wide and my heart stopped beating completely as I took in the severed right forearm that was placed in the center of the box, surrounded by white cotton. The arm was drained of blood and pale, but obviously belonged to someone of darker color than the average white person. I could feel the darkness surround me as my eyes fell on the little birthmark of a bird that adorned the wrist, and one thought crossed my mind before I lost all consciousness.

_Tami_ . . .

* * *

**Eh, sorry to anyone who hoped Tami would be saved . . . :s Anyway, tell me how I did with this chapter. :D I love reviews. xD**

**I think I'll wait until I reach 350 reviews before I'll update again. ;) I'm an evil person, aren't I?**


	21. Chapter 19

**Hey guys. ^.^ I figured I'd give you all a treat, EVEN THOUGH you didn't help me reach 350 reviews . . . I'm such a nice person. XD Lmao. **

**Oh, here's a shoutout to all of my lovely reviewers who make my day with their reviews. :D **

**P.S.: So, I know the song lyrics at the beginning are like, a ginormous paragraph, but I personally think they kind of go along with this chapter. :P Idk. Haha. Anyway, enjoy! :D**

* * *

_My ship went down, in a sea of sound._  
_When I woke up alone I had everything._  
_A handful of moments, I wished I could change._  
_And a tongue like a nightmare, that cut like a blade._  
_In a city of fools, I was careful and cool._  
_But they tore me apart, like a hurricane._  
_A handful of moments, I wished I could change._  
_But I was carried away.  
- All Time Low_

Thanksgiving had finally made its way to La Push. This year, however, would be bittersweet with thanks. Only a week ago, evidence that one of my best friends was dead appeared on my front porch. The pack had placed the arm in Port Angeles so the police would find it and give Tami's parents some closure. A few days after Cole and I discovered the arm, Tami's funeral took place.

On the bright side, my relationship with Cole was slowly piecing together. He was still an arrogant asshole who I wanted to slap most of the time, but he was learning to let the imprint take over little by little. I was thankful that he was no longer pushing me away like he used to.

Everyone was gathered at Sam and Emily's house. It was tradition for holidays to be spent here with the entire pack – retired and current. The kitchen was full of women cooking and preparing the feast. Many had not even shown up yet, and it was amazing how much the pack had grown over the years.

I was cutting vegetables when the back door opened and a handful of the wolves barged in. Cole, Drew, and Drew's younger brother, Derek, stood in the doorway, their eyes wide at the amount of food before them. I couldn't help but giggle softly at poor Derek's face. He had only become a wolf a few days ago, and he was just now getting used to the constant hunger. It was rather hilarious to see his reaction as his brother tried to hold him back.

"Boys! Get out, get out, get out!" Emily chastised as she tried to usher the boys out the back door with her dishrag. Laughter from the women filled the room at the spectacle. Emily smacked Derek on the arm with the rag, causing the boy to laugh and stumble back into me just as I brought the knife down on a carrot. The force of the werewolf boy hitting my body caused the knife to slice down on my finger. As blood oozed onto the countertop and dripped onto the carrot, turning the orange vegetable red.

"Derek!" I exclaimed as I dropped the knife. He was still leaning against me, causing the counter edge to cut into my stomach. I grimaced at the pain in my middle and my finger. "Ouch! Get off!"

A loud snarl filled the room as Derek's weight suddenly disappeared while my mother grabbed my finger and wrapped another dishcloth around it. I turned just in time to see Emily yell out the backdoor for someone to go find Jacob. Cole had Derek slammed against the wall by the throat, the poor boy's feet not touching the ground. Derek's hands gripped Cole's single hand that held the boy up. Cole was snarling, his body shaking, and Drew had a hand on Cole's shoulder, begging him to let his brother go. I was so terrified by Cole's reaction and the look of fury on his face, I couldn't move.

"Cole! Stop!" Jake's Alpha orders came through loud and clear as he entered the house through the back door. Cole's hand unclenched from around Derek's neck, but he didn't move. Drew grabbed Derek by the arm and led him outside.

"Dammit, Cole. Look at how many you could've injured if you phased!" Jake growled as he motioned around the room to all of the women who had stopped their work. "Why don't you ever _think_?!"

"Because he hurt my imprint!" Cole yelled as he punched the wall with the hand that he had used to hold Derek up. I flinched as his hand went through the wall, leaving a gaping hole. Emily cursed quietly as she stared at her damaged kitchen wall. "He hurt her, Jake," Cole said, a bit more quietly now.

Jake sighed and ran a hand down his face as he demanded exasperatedly, "Then why in the _hell_ are you putting holes in your mother's wall instead of comforting your imprint, Cole?"

Cole turned, his eyes catching mine, before he pushed past Jake and disappeared out the back door. I tried not to let the hurt show on my face as Jake shook his head and apologized to everyone before he, too, followed Cole.

The kitchen was silent for a moment until Nessie sighed loudly and spoke. "Well, as entertaining as that was, we should get back to work." The rest of the women agreed and continued with whatever they were doing. Momma threw away the ruined carrots while I disinfected the counter. Once we were done, I picked up the knife to continue cutting. Momma's hand covered mind over the knife.

"Honey, go talk to Cole. I'll finish up here." She smiled softly and nodded her head in the direction of the door.

I grimaced, but did as I was told. My feet carried me out the back door and off the porch, but my mind was elsewhere. I was too focused on worry that Cole would fall back to being a jerk again. I couldn't get over the fact that he had walked out instead of seeing if I was okay. Sure, he had avenged my injury by attacking Derek, but still. I would've much rather had a hug or even a simple "are you okay?" instead.

The entire pack was roughhousing in the backyard. I was surprised that they were all here instead of patrolling for the vampire. I brushed that thought aside as my eyes found Cole. He was standing in the tree line at the back of the property, his arms braced against a tree, his head hanging low as Jacob lectured him. My lips pursued as I trudged forward towards them, ignoring the looks from the rest of the wolves.

Jake saw me coming and immediately stopped talking. His lips turned down in a frown as he ran a hand down his face and sighed. I bit my lip and came to a stop a few feet away.

"They said I should come talk to you," I mumbled, speaking to Cole but looking at the ground.

Jacob muttered something irrelevant and quickly left us alone, but not before warning Cole to stay in control. Cole didn't say anything in reply. I'm sure he glared, but I couldn't tell with my eyes focused on the brown grass beneath our feet.

It was silent for a moment until I heard Cole shift and his arms wrap around me. I was frozen for a moment. Cole wasn't much for touching. I was surprised, to say the least, but I snapped out of it and slid my arms around his waist. He squeezed me tightly against his chest for what seemed like a lifetime before releasing me and stepping back.

My eyes flickered up to meet his steely gray ones, which softened under my gaze. He ran a hand through his hair as he spoke. "I'm sorry, for . . . that." He motioned towards the house, but his eyes fell to the ground. "I just . . . I lost it."

I twiddled my thumbs and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "It's fine," I mumbled. "I should've been more careful with the kni-"

"This is _not_ your fault," Cole hissed, interrupting me. I bit my lip harder, tasting the blood that oozed through the thin skin.

"Cole, it was an accident. It was _nobody's_ fault."

Cole growled and punched the tree. It snapped and fell into the dense forest, landing with a loud thud as a few of the wolves behind us sniggered.

"Dammit, Grace! Just let me protect you without you starting an argument every time!" he yelled, still facing in the opposite direction of me.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Cole, there's a difference between protecting and acting like an idiot in front of everyone. At the fair, you protected me. A few minutes ago, you acted like a fool. Do you see the difference?"

He whirled around to face me, his angry eyes penetrating my fearful ones. "I was fucking protecting you, bitch."

I blanched. Well ouch. He hadn't called me that since the day he and Zach had it out on the cliff, before I almost fell to my death. I suddenly felt everything we had started building fall apart around us. I thought we were making progress. My heart ripped into pieces as tears came to my eyes. I thought he had changed, but in reality he hadn't. It killed me to admit it to myself. He would never truly care about me. It would always be him before me. And I hated that.

I sniffed and wiped my wet eyes before setting my face in a stony expression. "Okay," I nodded, more to myself as I decided in my mind exactly what I would have to do. "If that's your protection, then count me out. I don't want any part of it. You're going to hurt a human one day, and it will haunt you for the rest of your life." I blinked back a few more tears as my eyes made contact with his. "Leave me alone, Cole Uley. I won't end up like your mother, scarred for eternity by the man she loves," I said in the harshest voice I could muster before I turned and ran as fast as my legs would carry me to the house.

* * *

Everyone gathered around outside, since there wasn't enough room for everyone in one room together inside, and said grace before they all dispersed to different areas of the house and outdoors and the Thanksgiving feast began. I was too numb to pay any attention. I simply took a seat on the couch in the living room and zoned into my thoughts. I wasn't hungry. I didn't care about any conversations. I wanted to take back my words I said to Cole, but I couldn't. They were too true. He was out of control as a wolf when he was the slightest bit angry, and I knew that if he didn't learn to calm himself down, he'd accidentally phase and injure someone. I was too selfish to let it be me.

Cole eventually showed up to eat, but didn't even bother looking at me when he passed through the living room from the front door. I took it as a sign that he was over it. At least now he would be able to fulfill his dreams without another thought towards this imprint.

As the sky grew dark outside, I moved from my perch for the first time to find my family. Mostly everyone had chosen to sit outside since it was unusually sunny. I made my way through the back door to the porch, where my parents sat with a few of the other older couples.

Emily Uley stood and crossed the porch quickly, wrapping me up in a hug as she whispered, "Honey, he wouldn't ever hurt you like that," in my ear. I grimaced as I realized that the other wolves had heard our conversation, and had gossiped about it behind our backs. So much for privacy . . .

I could only nod as a lump formed in my throat and tears pricked at my eyes. Momma joined us and laid a hand on Emily's shoulder. She could sense that I wasn't comfortable with this at the moment. Momma gave me a knowing look that told me we would talk about this later, but with her sympathetic smile, I knew it would mostly be me crying and Momma providing the ice cream for me.

Daddy cleared his throat and stood, towering over all of us women. "Well, I'm stuffed and horny. Let's go home." He smacked my mother on the rear and walked into the house with a wolfish grin. I couldn't help but roll my eyes as the rest of the men howled with laughter. Momma called for David and J.J., and before long, we were in the car, headed for home. The car was filled with animated talk of a wonderful holiday and memories, leaving everyone with smiles and joy.

But as we pulled into the driveway and I hopped out, my laughter at one of my brother's jokes trailing through the chilly Washington air, movement from the edge of the forest across the front lawn from the driveway caught my attention. My eyes gazed into the sad gray ones that were placing in the center of the giant, black, furry face of the wolf that stood, watching me. My laughter abruptly stopped and I froze as the wolf snorted, glared at me, and turned away before disappearing into the forest. I ignored my family as they asked what was wrong, because the piercing, heartbroken howl that filled the silence was all the answer they needed.

**Eh, sorry for those of you who were excited over Grace and Cole's progress . . . You know Cole had to snap like the idiot he is. Haha. And you know I had to bring up the Emily/Sam issue since he is their kid. **

**But anyway, please review. :D**

**Reviews make me happiez. xD**


	22. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! I'm SO SORRY for not updating! It's been a rough past few months. I know, I know . . . I always use that excuse. :/ But seriously, it's been bad. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE: Here's a new chapter. :D**

* * *

_I want you so bad.  
Can you feel it, too?  
You know I'm so, I'm so in love with you.  
I want you so much.  
I need you so much.  
I need your, I need your, your touch._

_And you never, ever let me in.  
Let me in...  
- Metro Station_

Four days, three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and fourteen seconds.

Four days, three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and fifteen seconds.

Four days, three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and sixteen seconds.

Four days, three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and seventeen seconds.

I felt pathetic. I was _counting seconds_, for God sakes! Since when had I stooped this low? I was a completely different person – the kind that pined over a boy who didn't want me the way I wanted him – and I hated it.

Four days, three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and eighteen seconds.

"Ugh!" I dragged myself from where I lay, sprawled across my bed. I hadn't moved from this spot hardly since I had gotten home four days ago after the Thanksgiving party at Sam and Emily's. The imprint had my heart feeling heavy, and for the first two days I had done nothing but cry as I replayed the last conversation I had with Cole over and over in my head.

I grabbed my phone off of the bedside table, a slight hope that he had tried contacting me sparking inside.

The picture of Zach, Tami, and I that was my background flashed back at me, revealing no missed calls or texts. My heart sank, and tears threatened to fall again.

Did he miss me at all?

Did he think about me?

Did I really mean that little to him?

My head hurt at the back where my hair was pulled into a high ponytail, the shorter pieces in the back falling to cascade around my neck. I pulled the hairband from my hair and massaged my head as my hair fell around my face. It felt stringy and greasy, and I blanched as I realized I hadn't taken a shower – or changed my clothes, for that matter – ever since the party.

What was wrong with me? I was acting like I had been dumped, when in reality, there had been no relationship to even begin with.

This boy had me going insane.

I jumped from my perch on the edge of my bed and grabbed a handful of random clothes from my dresser drawers before darting across the hall to the bathroom.

I needed a hot shower to get my mind off of Coleman Uley.

* * *

I hadn't realized how early it was. _6:30_ blinked back at me, mocking me as I rubbed my tired eyes and dressed in jeans and a soft shirt for school. It was our first day back from Thanksgiving break; I regretted spending my last few days staring at my ceiling instead of sleeping.

Once I was decent enough to go to school, I tip-toed down the stairs to the kitchen. Nobody else was awake yet – my family was the type to jump up at the last minute and rush out the door. I pulled a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator and grabbed the skillet from the cabinet as I turned the stove burner on. I figured since I was up and ready so early, the least I could do would be to cook a little bit of breakfast for my family. They had put up with so much from me for the past few weeks, ever since the imprint happened.

As the scrambled eggs cooked, I grabbed both packets of bacon out of the refrigerator and began pulling the uncooked strips apart and placing them on a large metal pan. I knew my father alone could eat a pack, which meant I had to cook a feast fit for a king to satisfy my wolf family.

_Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep!_

I screamed as my heart raced in my chest. The smoke alarm on the ceiling above me was beeping like crazy, and the slight smell of smoke filled my nostrils. Realization hit me as I gasped and spun around to the stove. The eggs that had been bright yellow and white just minutes ago were now charred and brown, with little flames poking up around them.

"Oh, geeze," I muttered as the smoke billowed lightly from the pan to the ceiling. I quickly ran to the stove and flipped the burner off.

"Stupid, freaking, good-for-nothing, piece of crap pan . . . can't do anything right . . ." I grumbled incoherent thoughts as I grabbed the smoking pan and darted through the back door and off the porch to the yard. I tossed the pan on the grass, letting the early morning dew cool off the scorching metal, and ran to the side of the house where the hose was coiled up in the bushes.

"Grace! What happened?!" my mother called from the doorway. I could hear my father inside, his deep voice booming through the house as he cursed the smoke alarm. A loud crash sounded, and the grass moved next to me as something landed.

I glanced down as I pulled the nozzle, releasing a stream of icy water on the smoldering eggs, and realized that my father had slung the circular plastic alarm through the kitchen window. Stripped colorful wires stuck out from one side, and a large chunk in the middle was missing. Most likely, it was still stuck on the ceiling.

Once the pan was completely drenched and the ruined eggs had mixed in with the grass, I dropped the hose on the grass. Tears were already forming in my eyes, but I held them back with all my might.

Why couldn't I do anything right? What was so wrong with me that everything I touched – my future, my destiny, these eggs – burned to pieces underneath my fingertips?

My mother's arms wrapped around my shoulders. "Honey? Are you okay?"

I shook my head and bit my lip to hold back the sobs. I was surprised my tear ducts hadn't dried up from so many days of crying, yet here I was, bawling again. Why was this so hard? It had been so _easy_ for the other imprinted couples. Even Sam and Emily's relationship seemed effortless compared to this, and my emotional scars were far worse than Emily's physical ones.

"I don't—" I paused as I choked back another sob. "I don't think I can face him today . . . if he shows up . . ."

Momma sighed and patted my shoulder before releasing me. "Okay. You can stay home. But try not to bother David. He's staying home too because he's so close to phasing. I don't want him to get upset and phase too close to you, Grace."

I nodded as she leaned down and picked up the ruined smoke alarm, and couldn't help the small smile that formed on my face as she clicked her tongue and shook her head. "I swear, your father is worse than all of you kids combined." With that, she turned and walked back into the house, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a drenched pan.

* * *

"And I'll swim the ocean for you. The ocean for you. Whoah-oh-oh-oh-oh, Kelsey!"

I danced around the kitchen as I sang along to the Metro Station song. My parents and J.J. had left a little over fifteen minutes ago, and to keep my mind off of everything falling apart in my own life, I decided to make my mother's a little easier and clean up the house a bit. David was still asleep upstairs, and according to my father, he would probably sleep for most of the day. Something about how the werewolf gene taking over the body and changing it tired out a person.

Knocking on the front door stopped my dancing, and I quickly shut off the radio before running to the door. I had barely opened it when a warm body grabbed me and shoved the door closed with a loud _slam!_ My face was squished into the mystery person's chest, and with a quick intake of breath, I could easily tell who it was.

Cole Uley.

What. The. Hell.

He moved with werewolf speed over to the couch and sat me down before disappearing upstairs. I sat in silence for a moment, completely in shock, before realization hit me. Coleman Uley had barged into my house. What did he want? Had he not tortured my heart enough? I couldn't push away the tiny spark of hope that burned, wishing he would apologize and give in to the imprint once and for all.

I gasped, silently thankful that I didn't scream, when Cole suddenly reappeared. He was panting slightly, as if out of breath, which was quite the feat for a werewolf. His eyes found mine, and for a moment, the entire world seemed to vanish. We stayed like that for what seemed like a lifetime before my anger for his intrusion bubbled over.

I jumped up from where he had sat me on the couch and glared at him. "What do you think you're doing, Cole?" I demanded forcefully, my glare biting into him.

He had the decency to flinch at my harsh look and words. He held his hands up in a peace offering as he averted his gaze to the floor. "Look, I know you're pissed off at me and shit, but I have a right to be here."

He had a _right_ to be in my house? If that was true, then I had the _right_ to punch the idiot in the face.

Too bad I wasn't a very violent person . . .

"Oh really? Since when did you have that right?" I challenged, ill at the fact that he acted like he could do anything and it would be okay in the world. He wasn't free to play with my feelings and with fate and not expect it to eventually bite him in the butt.

Cole's hands fell to his sides as he clenched them into fists and snapped, "Since you became my imprint, dammit!"

"You never seemed to care about that before!" I shot back. I had never been such an emotional person until Coleman Uley came into my life, and now I found the sudden urge to cuss him out nearly overtaking me. The pack women were right about the imprint affecting both people. Even our emotions were shared.

He was shaking slightly. "I've always fucking cared!"

I snorted. He had always cared? Yeah, right. He had always been the one pushing me away and tearing this apart. He was the one who couldn't accept me! How come he always made _me_ feel like the bad guy?

"If that was true, Cole, then we wouldn't be in such a fucked up situation!" My eyes grew wide slightly as I realized the language I had used. "Ohmygod, you're starting to rub off on me," I muttered, closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose as I calmed myself down.

Warmth touched my skin, and I jumped back in shock at Cole's sudden proximity. He ran a hand down his tired, worn face and sighed heavily.

"I don't want to argue with you," he said softly, his eyes staring straight into mine. He lifted a hand and moved to touch my face, but thinking better of it, quickly dropped his arm without touching me. He stepped backwards, giving me my personal bubble back, and growled something under his breath. The angry look that had disappeared for a moment was back now as he shook his head and stared up at the ceiling. "I shouldn't have come here."

It took a millisecond for me to find my voice. "Why?" I whispered.

Cole's eyes whipped to mine for a second before breaking contact again. "Because the vampire . . . he was here."

Oh God. My heart stopped beating for a moment as the news sunk in. Daniel was here? My best friend wasn't enough? He had to come after me, too?!

"I know I'm the biggest fucking jerk you know, but I promise you, Grace – I won't let him _touch_ you," Cole said, growling the last part. He looked down at me and gently pushed some of my hair behind my ear, and I reveled in the feeling of his skin against mine.

Why couldn't Cole be like _this_ more often? I could actually stand him when he was sweet.

"You know, you should try being like this more often. Maybe then we could actually have a conversation without you running off in anger," I muttered with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Cole rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." His face grew serious. "I really am trying, Grace. There's just so many emotions with this imprint . . . your emotions mixed with mine, plus the wolf in me . . . It just gets overwhelming sometimes."

I shrugged and looked up at his face as I bit my lip. "Will you stay until my parents get home? I'm kind of worried about staying alone now . . . You know, with a vampire around here and all." I felt retarded immediately after the words left my mouth. He disappeared for four days and I was forgiving him this easily? What was _wrong_ with me?

I loved him. That's what was wrong.

Cole nodded. "I'm not leaving until I rip that leech to fucking pieces."

Smiling slightly, I gathered the courage to wrap my arms around Cole's muscular waist. I clasped my hands around his back and leaned my head against his chest, feeling the weight lift from my heart as I sighed into him. He slowly wrapped his own arms around me, and squeezed lightly as he rested his head on top of mine.

We could have stayed like that for a few seconds or hours – I couldn't tell a difference. I just knew that I was finally at home here in his arms, where I was safe from any dangers. The vampire, the screwed-up imprint – none of it could hurt me as long as I was here.

If only this could last.

Cole started chuckling, and I raised an eyebrow, though he couldn't see. His body shook against me as his chuckling grew harder, and – not wanting to remove myself from his arms just yet – muttered into his chest, "What in the world is so funny?"

I felt him shake his head against the top of my own before he finally stopped laughing long enough to talk.

"Why do you smell like burnt eggs?"

So much for a sweet moment.

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**So . . . . review? Please? They make my day. :D **

**OH! And I really would like ideas on what to do for the next chapter and such. I'm kind of brain dead at the moment. If you guys have any ideas or stuff you want to see or happen, just send me a message or review! :)**

**Thank you all for the support with this story. I can't wait to see the feedback! And I promise I'll update soon! **


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